BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Hundreds of people were unable to return home Monday night after a storm dropped more than 10 inches of rain in parts of Brunswick County.

The Exxon gas station on Zion Church Road off Highway 17 in Brunswick County was turned into a rest stop Monday night, with many drivers stuck in their cars for 10 hours or more from noon into the night.

The storm brought record amounts of rain, blocking most of the highway, leaving people unable to drive anywhere and forced to spend the night in their cars.

“It’s been crazy,” said Amber Hogate, a mother of two young children. “The gas station isn’t open, so we can’t get water or food. We’re just trying to go on vacation with our family,” she added.

Hogate and her husband were traveling from Delaware to Myrtle Beach when Brunswick County was hit by flooding.

“I would love to be home, my three year old granddaughter is visiting and she cried herself to sleep last night because she wanted her daddy,” said Doug Smith.

“There were about five of us that made friends here, we made the most of it. We got the beach chairs out and just hung out until about 2 o’clock this morning,” Smith added.

“I’ve been here from New York for 23 years and I’ve never seen anything like this, even after hurricanes,” Howard Gardner said. “Nothing moves south, nothing moves north and the water just doesn’t go anywhere,” he added.

The gas station reopened shortly after 6 a.m. Police also opened the northbound lane toward Wilmington so drivers could turn around and return to the area, though the southbound lanes remain closed.

David McIntire, director of Brunswick County Emergency Management, says they are trying to assess the extent of the damage and find alternative routes for people to take.

McIntire is asking people to avoid driving unless necessary, as flood waters can be dangerous.

“Brunswick County has a very extensive list, I think it’s about 120+ roads that are currently impacted by water, causing them to be closed,” McIntire said.

“This system took a lot of us by surprise with the speed of its impact,” McIntire said, noting that emergency responders were already on high alert after Tropical Storm Debby rolled in a few weeks earlier.

“We’re probably a long way from normal traffic and getting the water out of the area, it’s going to be a while,” McIntire said. “Don’t go on the roads if you don’t have to, we understand emergencies happen, life happens, but if you don’t have a reason to be on the roads today, don’t go on the roads today,” he added.

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