BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — Four families in a Martin County neighborhood found themselves trapped last week after floodwaters undermined the only bridge connecting them to the main road. Officials condemned the structure, leaving residents of Mac Pinson Drive cut off from essential services.

On Friday, Martin County Road & Bridge crews worked to stabilize the bridge, which had pulled loose from the embankment after the recent flood.

Riley Maynard, who has lived on Mac Pinson Drive since he was 21, said the closure has made daily life difficult.

“Can’t get in or out to get nothing,” Maynard said. “The mail can’t run. The garbage truck can’t run. I’m getting low on food.”

Maynard’s neighbor, Derrick Pinson, has lived in the neighborhood all his life. He recalled a time when residents had to wade through Blacklog Creek to reach their homes.

County officials are working to provide relief. According to Maynard, District 2 Magistrate Kermit Howell is seeking a temporary easement on an adjoining property to allow residents to cross the creek while the county replaces the bridge.

“I said that would be fine,” Maynard said. “He’s an awfully good magistrate.”

Maynard also reflected on the hardships of earlier years. When he first moved to the neighborhood, he lived without electricity for five years.

“Times was tough back then,” he said. “There was no work in this county—I mean nothing—and it was really rough.”