Any resident from Swan Quarter, the county seat of Hyde County, North Carolina, can easily tell a story of a time the town was flooded. They can recall the massive amounts of mud, fish, snakes, and mold they found in their homes when they were allowed to re-enter. Located only a few feet above sea level, Swan Quarter experiences frequent flooding from the nearby Pamlico Sound during coastal storms and high tides. A project to control flooding was essential to prevent the town and its many surrounding croplands from joining the debris that rests at the bottom of the sound.

Swan Quarter was most severely impacted by Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Isabel was a Category 2 storm when it made landfall in eastern North Carolina, causing millions of dollars of wind and storm surge damage. The flooding greatly distressed the towns more than 800 residents as well as the fishermen and farmers that make their livelihood from the land and sea.

When Isabel came through, it put a lot of people out of business, said Hyde County Administrative Soil and Water Technician Debbie P. Cahoon.

Most of the towns services and local businesses, including the post office, grocery store, and a restaurant, were impacted by the heavy flooding of 2003 and no longer exist.

Even before Isabel, residents were contending with the consequences of repeated floodingcleaning mold and repairing their homes following the strong coastal storms that brought wind and rain. A repair shop located just across from the old courthouse has flood marks indicating each named storm that has brutally affected their once thriving town.

Floods are severely stressingboth emotionally and physically, said Hyde County Manager Mazie Smith. Everything that rests at the bottom of the river shows up inside the homes and buildings.

In 1965, a number of local, state, and federal sources began jointly sponsoring a flood control project in the Swan Quarter Watershed to reduce the flooding in the more than 7,000 acres of affected land. The project would protect the croplands that neighbor the town of Swan Quarter and prevent future flooding of the residential area.

Drafted 46 years ago, the projects original plan consisted of 17.7 miles of 6.7-foot high dikes, 2.9 miles of channel improvements, 3 pumping stations, and 16 tide gates. Immediately following plan development, the project began construction, but was halted several times due to budget constraints. In 2002, once more funding became available, revisions were made to the remaining plans and the final phase of construction was completed in June 2011. The entire project, phases one through 13, totaled $13,236,469 in combined local and federal funds.

The timing was perfect because, 2 months later, Hurricane Irene pummeled the Atlantic Coast, bringing extreme winds and storm surge. By the time Hurricane Irene hit the North Carolina coast, it was a Category 1 storm and the project constructed dikes held back the rushing waters as the storm moved on. Although the town did suffer from some flooding as the torrential rains continued, the damages were greatly reduced as compared to those the town had faced in the past.

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