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GREENSBORO — Too little and poor drainage didn’t help Wafco Mills when torrential rain flooded the condo complex June 3, a city report says.

But even with suggested improvements, the area still could not have avoided flooding that day, said Chuck Osborne, stormwater design engineer for the city. The storm dropped a record-setting 8 inches of rain in some parts of the county and at least 7 inches at Wafco Mills.

“That was just way too much water,” Osborne said. “That storm was just too intense. ... Nothing was really going to help that situation.”

But there are steps the city and Wafco Mills can take to improve drainage to handle more typical storms, he said.

The city began building a new drain and enlarging another along South Cedar Street on Tuesday to improve water flow in that area. The project will cost $8,000 to $10,000, Osborne said. The money comes from the city’s maintenance fund, he said.

He also has recommended that Wafco Mills look at adding drains on its property and enlarging the drain in the courtyard outside the five condos that flooded.

The condos remain unlivable, part of an estimated $3 million in damage to 17 homes and apartments in Greensboro.

Fans continue to dry out the damaged part of the historic building. Displaced residents have moved in with family and friends. Rebuilding will be difficult and costly — no one had flood insurance.

Meanwhile, folks have rallied behind the people who lost their homes at the 116-year-old mill, which was turned into condos and apartments in the 1980s.

An event last week at Winstead Commons raised about $1,200. Another group is still raising money that will be set aside until construction work actually begins, said Matthew Dennis, who lost his condo.

“The community has just been fantastic,” Dennis said.

It will be at least another two weeks before the building dries out enough to begin the rebuilding, he said. The homeowners association paid for cleanup costs and is helping with rewiring, Dennis said.

But that leaves owners and renters a seemingly endless list that insurance won’t cover: new doors and windows, flooring, furnaces, sheetrock, appliances, cabinets.

“All that, yeah, is going to have to come out of our pockets,” Dennis said.

That’s on top of paying rent or mortgage and association dues for property they won’t be able to occupy for at least several months.

City Councilman Zack Matheny hopes to convince fellow members to approve low-interest loans for the Wafco residents.
 

He first sought state aid but “got shot down.” There wasn’t enough damage to meet state requirements, Matheny said.

Contact Jennifer Fernandez at 373-7064 or jennifer.fernandez@news-record.com