After flooding, The Expedition School staff rally to find solutions

At the Eno River Mill building in Hillsborough, The Expedition School staff members are cleaning up after floodwaters rushed through the hallways and classrooms.
Posted 7/8/2025, 9:18:19 PM Updated 7/8/2025, 10:00:16 PM

HEIDI KIRK, WRAL, NEWS LIVE

IN SANFORD.

>> THANK YOU, HEIDI.

HILLSBOROUGH WAS HIT HARD BY

SEAN TOLD THE TOWN IS STILL

UNDER A BOIL WATER ADVISORY,

DAMAGING GOLD PARKING RIVERWALK

OF CLOSE THOSE AREAS FOR WEEKS,

YOU KNOW, RIVER MILL, WHICH IS

HOME TO A SCHOOL IN OUR GALLERY

AND OTHER BUSINESSES. THEY ALSO

SUSTAINED SEVERE DAMAGE.

THERE WAS ONE OF THE CASES LIVE

INSIDE THE EXPEDITION SCHOOL

SURVEYING THE DAMAGE. MONICA.

>> YEAH, GERALD, STILL NO POWER

IN THIS BUILDING RIGHT NOW IN

HERE ON THE WALL BEHIND ME,

YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE JUST HOW

HIGH UP THE WATER CAME FURTHER

DOWN. THIS HALLWAY. THE

BUILDING ACTUALLY SLOWS DOWN

HILL A BIT TO THAT LINE IS EVEN

HIGHER ON THE WALL AFTER THE

NEW RIVER CAME RUSHING DOWN

THIS HALLWAY, TAKING AWAY A LOT

OF HARD WORK AND PREPARATION

FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR.

THAT STARTS IN JUST A COUPLE

OF WEEKS.

INSTEAD OF THE SOUND OF

STUDENTS FOOTSTEPS THIS HALLWAY

AT THE EXPEDITION SCHOOL WAS

FILLED WITH RUSHING RIVER

WATER. SO THE WATER PUSHED

EVERYTHING THIS WAY AND THEN

EVERYTHING BACK FROM PENCILS

TO TEXTBOOKS TO TEACHER

TECHNOLOGY.

>> EVERYTHING BELOW THE WATER

LINE WAS DESTROYED. SOME OF

OUR TEACHERS HERE HAVE BEEN

TEACHING FOR A VERY LONG TIME

AND ALL OF THEIR

>> CREATIONS. AND THEY'RE, YOU

KNOW, THEY'RE HEART THAT WENT

INTO ALL OF THESE THINGS

THEY'VE CREATED OR GONE.

EC DIRECTOR JULIA MCCAULEY

TELLS ME TEACHER WORKDAYS ARE

BECOMING DEMOLITION AND CLEANUP

DAYS INSTEAD WE TRY TO MAKE IT

FUN. WE'VE BEEN PUTTING MUSIC

ON AND DANCING A LITTLE BIT

THROUGH THIS LED TAMMY FINCH IS

RALLYING HER CREW TO FIND

SOLUTIONS, INCLUDING A

TEMPORARY MOVE TO A DRIER

BUILDING NEXT DOOR OR KIDS.

>> SOLVE PROBLEMS AS PART.

IS THERE A PART OF WHAT THEY

DO?

GOT A NEW BIG PROBLEM TO SOLVE?

>> AROUND THE CORNER

YOU KNOW, ARTS MILL ALSO

FLOODED 15 ARTISTS. STUDIOS

WERE DESTROYED. SOME PEOPLE

HAD 10, 20 YEARS OF WORK.

IT IS TRUE. AND KATIE MURRAY

TELLS ME THEY'RE TAKING CLEAN

UP ONE DAY AT A TIME, HOPING TO

REOPEN THIS SAFE SPACE FOR

ARTISTS AND TEENAGERS AS SOON

AS POSSIBLE. THAT IS THE

GREATEST LOSS RIGHT NOW.

IS THAT THIS COMMUNITY THAT

WE HAVE BILL THAT IS IT IS THE

HOME FOR SO MANY.

>> PEOPLE ON IT IS IS NO

LONGER.

>> NOW HERE AT THE SCHOOL, THE

DIRECTOR TELLS ME THEY'RE GOING

TO HAVE WORK DAYS WERE MEMBERS

OF THE COMMUNITY CAN COME HELP

BUILD FURNITURE AND HELP OUT

WITH ALL OF THIS CLEANUP.

THEY ARE GOING TO BE COLLECTING

DONATIONS. WELL, HERE FOR THE

SCHOOL AND AT THE HART'S MILL

NEXT OR WE HAVE BOTH OF THOSE

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