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One year after Matthew, Fayetteville continues to struggle with recovery

Nearly one year after Hurricane Matthew ripped through North Carolina, destroying homes and washing out dams, Fayetteville city leaders continue to struggle with a plan for recovery.

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FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Nearly one year after Hurricane Matthew ripped through North Carolina, destroying homes and washing out dams, Fayetteville city leaders continue to struggle with a plan for recovery.

Freddy Rivera, president of the Rayconda Homeowner's Association, said two of the subdivision's privately owned dams were washed out by Hurricane Matthew.

The city quickly replaced the earthen dam on Siple Avenue with a culvert because it was the only way in and out of the subdivision for emergency vehicles.

"I just want the lake back. We all want the lakes back," Rivera said. "This was once a lake. A private lake. A very clean lake, where people used to swim in it."

Many of the lakes have been turned into wetlands. Since being annexed into Fayetteville, gas, sewer and other utility lines run through the former lake.

Eight other privately owned dams and two publicly owned dams in Fayetteville were also damaged or destroyed.

The city is trying to figure out how to make repairs and who should have to pay.

"It's extremely hard because we can't spend public money on private property," Rivera said.

Mayor Nat Robertson said the city is doing all that it can to help residents whose dams were destroyed by the storm.

The homeowner's associations of four privately owned dams have petitioned the city for help. But the help will be expensive, costing nearly $55,000 for engineers to just evaluate the damage.

The city council is determining other creative ways to make repairs in a fair way and within the lines of the law.

"And if we can try to take each one of these neighborhood lakes and classify them storm water reservoirs, then maybe we can look at doing something for the public good," Robertson said.

Once a dam is breached or destroyed and the lake bed dries up, the land is considered wetlands and the Army Corps of Engineers have to give approval for another lake to be made. The issue will be discussed again at a meeting on October 30.

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