In Wayne County, residents anxiously watched the Neuse River near Goldsboro on Saturday, waiting to see how high the water level will rise.
Slowly but steadily the river rises and water begins to collect in the parking lot near the Ferry Bridge.
Locals are aware of what is coming, but they can only wait. Rising water is already spilling onto the streets and the Neuse River is threatening to flood more areas.
Local farmer Dickie Kornegay keeps a close eye on the river and is concerned about his farms and crops.
He is out today with his grandson Jacob to assess the situation.
“When the water gets too high, we have to move our equipment,” Kornegay says, passing on nearly a century of family farming wisdom to the next generation. “That’s very important to me. I really love having him around and teaching him.”
Kornegay has to learn a hard lesson: Mother Nature is unpredictable.
His tobacco crop is far from what it should be after the storm.
“It’s over. Tobacco is not coming back,” Kornegay said. “That’s not good.”
The combination of a dry start to the season, a wet July and heavy tropical storm rains has destroyed his crop.
“The roots can’t take it anymore. See how soaked they are?” Kornegay said. “The mud is just dripping off them. It’s too much.”
The hardships of this year are a hard lesson for young Jacob, but Kornegay hopes that his grandson will inherit his eternal optimism and continue the farming legacy.
“You can only hope for the best,” says Kornegay with a hopeful smile.
