In 2016, Hurricane Matthew reached Category 5 strength in late September into early October. On Oct. 8 the hurricane made U.S. landfall in South Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane and impacted many of the eastern states. It brought flooding to many areas, including Fayetteville, N.C., the victim of more than 8 inches of rain in a 6-hour period and more than 14 inches overall. The storm had seemingly passed, so many residents were going out to malls and stores to run errands, recalls Sergeant Shawn Strepay of the Fayetteville Police Department, but then the flash flooding started. “It was disastrous and unexpected.” The flooding caused houses to lose power and many people became stranded in their cars, he recalls. The police agency was forced to utilize its generator, as it too became victim to loss of power.
As part of 430 sworn officers and civilian personnel at the Fayetteville Police Department, Sergeant Strepay was one of many who were called to action the day of the flooding. “We had officers coming in to work even though their houses were being affected,” says Strepay. “Our department’s parking lot just started flooding and we had some patrol vehicles that were damaged.”