Surry County is continuing clean-up efforts after a major storm dropped nine inches of rain on the area earlier this month.
Officials are still assessing the damage from what they say was the worst flooding there in nearly 50 years. At its peak, the Ararat River at Mount Airy measured approximately 29 feet — it’s usually around five. Officials say hundreds of sites have been damaged.
Mayor Jon Cawley says the city has also lost roughly 25 government vehicles and a DMV building. But the day after the storm, he says every business owner impacted was already working to make things better. He calls the community resilient.
"We don't see ourselves as victims," says Cawley. "We suffered through a flood, and we're going to face what's in front of us today, and we're going to clean up, and we're going to rebuild. And, you know, we're going to celebrate the fact that nobody died."
Cawley says neighboring cities, including Asheboro and High Point, have provided clean-up vehicles and volunteers to help in the recovery efforts.
Officials are urging residents to report flood damage on the county’s website.
And tonight at 5:30 p.m., they’ll hold Mount Airy Rocks, a community-wide event to clean up thousands of rocks that floodwaters deposited on a local soccer field. Participants are encouraged to bring their own 5-gallon buckets.