EDENTON, N.C — The Town of Edenton is hosting another screening this weekend of a documentary about the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Isabel.
“Isabel 20” specifically focuses on the impacts to Edenton and the surrounding area.
"It's hard to believe it's been 20 years; it's hard to believe it ever happened,” said Peggy Anne Vaughn, a longtime Edenton resident.
Downtown Edenton saw a storm surge of seven feet. The storm killed one person in Chowan County and caused more than $200 million dollars in damage.
"As it came ashore, it just pushed in a wall of water into the sounds of North Carolina,” said News 3 Chief Meteorologist Patrick Rockey.
For most folks living in Edenton and Chowan County, “This is probably the worst storm that hopefully they will ever have to deal with. Just not only one of the strongest, but just the impact that lasted for weeks and weeks and in some cases for months."
Vaughan and her husband, Roland Vaughan, who was mayor for 24 years, were eager to tell the story of that recovery as part of the documentary. They were at a neighbor’s house on East Water Street when the storm hit.
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“We were playing cards and waiting to see the effect the storm may have on us, and the water kept rising so we waded back over in chest deep water to our house. And when we realized we were getting flooded, we went upstairs,” Roland Vaughn said. “And that's where we stayed till the water subsided.”
Vaughn said the town rallied together in the aftermath of the storm, as it took days for outside help to arrive.
Their story and others are part of the Isabel 20 documentary, whose first screening was in December at a packed Taylor Theater. Two more screenings are set for this month.
The documentary was produced by Tyler Newman, public information officer for Town of Edenton. He spent months conducting interviews and sifting through archival photos and footage.
Watch related coverage: Hurricane Isabel: Looking back 20 years later
“It kind of reminds me that Isabel was sort of a defining moment in Edenton’s long, storied history,” Newman said. “And it was a moment that we all came together as one, and I think people are eager to reflect on that.”
"Isabel 20" will be screened on Saturday, Jan. 6 at 2 p.m. and on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 5:15 p.m. at the Taylor Theatre in Edenton. They are free and open to the public, but it is first come, first serve.
