BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) – After floodwaters closed US 17 (Ocean Highway West) heading into southern Brunswick County, hundreds of drivers were stuck along the highway for hours waiting for the water to recede.

According to a deputy on the scene, water was up to 6 feet (2 meters) high in some parts of the highway, forcing the road to be closed near Winnabow.

Many drivers went to work on Monday not knowing it would take hours to get home.

WECT spoke to a number of administrators who wanted to wait out the flooding.

George Bruce said he has been working since early Monday morning, a job that requires him to work in the rain.

He said he just wants to go home, take a hot shower and go to bed.

“I had no idea. I knew it was raining really hard, but I had no idea it was going to be this bad,” Bruce told WECT. “So I guess I’ll just sleep in the car tonight.”

Another driver, Tyler Thompson, said he would wait until he got home to his pregnant wife and children.

“I can’t leave them…my wife is due in a couple of weeks. I have three kids. I’ll do some off-roading if I have to,” Thompson said.

A spokesperson for the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office said there had been “multiple rescues throughout the county” but could not specify until Monday how many or where those rescues occurred.

Emergency responders are now asking neighbors to be patient, stay safe and stay home as much as possible as they deal with the aftermath of the storm.

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