Hurricane Matthew to make landfall today in Florida
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on October 6, 2016 6:35 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Local businesses are taking what steps they can to prepare for Hurricane Matthew, now a Category 4 storm, predicted to impact eastern North Carolina this weekend.
Dwayne Bevell, manager of EZ Bait and Tackle in Goldsboro, has been watching the storm carefully. As a fishing-based business, EZ Bait and Tackle is directly invested in regional fishing conditions, and Bevell makes sure to keep a close eye on weather patterns that could affect them.
"The surge after the storm, when it pushes the water up the river, that's what you really need to look out for," he said. "This building went under during Floyd."
Dwayne pointed out a spot on the wall about two feet up from the ground, where he said was the high-water mark during the 1999 hurricane.
EZ Bait and Tackle sits close to the Neuse river, which overflowed its banks then and flooded the local area. This year, store employees and management are working to avoid a similar situation.
While Dwayne spoke, his father, Gary Bevell, worked outside with employee Ricky Artis to cut boards for the store windows. Gary was operating the store during Hurricane Floyd, and said that it took three days before the water reached its highest point. This could happen again with Matthew, as the storm pushes water up the river, he said.
Dwayne said that anyone in an area at risk of flooding should make sure they have plenty of water stored up, especially if they get their water from a well. He said well pumps will not function underwater, so anyone with well water will be completely without it should flooding get too severe.
As for fishing, Dwayne said that the same forces that cause flooding will push fish farther inland as they escape the storm, making for prime conditions should the waters actually be safe.
"When it comes to fishing, it's liable to either be really good or totally destroyed," he said.
In the mean time, Dwayne and Gary are placing sandbags at the entrances to the store and moving merchandise to higher shelves, in addition to boarding up the windows in case of harsh wind. EZ Bait and Tackle sits in a low area next to a hill along with Wayne Auto Salvage, which Gary also owns, and Bevell's Pull It Yourself Used Auto Parts.
Goldsboro grocery stores have seen increased sales in the last few days, but are still generally well-stocked and prepared for whatever demands they may face ahead of Hurricane Matthew.
Charlie Carlson, a manager at the Food Lion at 1809 E. Ash St., said that sales had "absolutely" increased ahead of the storm. Prudent planning has kept the store stocked up.
"We had a good game plan ahead of time, which just means being aware from past experiences of what people are going to buy and making sure we have plenty of those things," he said. "Making sure we have lots of bread, water, eggs, flashlight batteries and things like that."
Carlson recommended that people shopping ahead of Hurricane Matthew prioritize items that will not go bad if the power fails.
"Buy ready-to-eat meals, maybe a cooler and lots of ice, and plenty of water," he said.
Other stores have seen less traffic, but are still prepared in case demand picks up as the storm approaches.
Perry Kornegay, a manager at Carlie C's at 1805 Wayne Memorial Drive, said that the store had seen "nothing too spectacular" in terms of increased sales. Nothing in the store is running short, but Kornegay said that management has made plans in advance to combat a potential rush.
"We're just making sure we have enough of the stuff people buy, like bread and milk," he said. "The last few days we've had a bit more [sales]."