Homes, cemeteries, and churches in jeopardy. A road expansion is threatening a town that has been here since before the Civil War.
From two lanes to four. That's what NC-DOT must change on U.S. 64 to make hurricane evacuations safer.
One plan would take out East Lake's two churches, a historic fire tower, and 12 of its 62 homes. 78-year-old Irvin Ambrose has lived here all his life. "I'll be lucky to ever drive on that highway. I mean I want to! Don't get me wrong!"
He doesn't mind so much that the plan would take out the home he spent 12 years building. "They could widen it side to side, north to south, I don't care, they can put it on sky hooks if they want to, I don't care."
What he cares about is what lies just behind the little churches. There is a cemetery there, with grave stones so old, you can't even read the date on them. We found one that dated as far back as 1897. If the expansion goes through, those graves would have to go.
Ambrose says most of his family is buried in that cemetery. "Brothers, cousins, my mom, dad, uncles. You name it and they are there, and it ain't gonna happen as long as I'm living."
There are two other solutions. The first, build north, but that would cost more money. Or there is Marie Cobb's idea: build south.
"They can go back of the house and not mess anyone up, because they could go right through the woods."
But those woods are part of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, and the group hasn't budged. The project isn't set to start until 2015, so they have a couple years to figure it out.
