Wilmington area thaws out following winter storm: ‘It was really bad.’

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - Businesses, churches, and residents attempted to return to normal on Saturday after below-freezing temperatures caused a layer of ice and snow to stick around following the winter storm.

At Mt. Olive African Methodist Episcopal Church, a crew wielded shovels, salt, and a blow torch to remove the ice from walkways.

"We're trying to cover all the slip and trip hazards here on the sidewalk," said pastor Tony Mills. "We did not have any burst pipes or anything. Just a little accumulation around the church."

Pastor Mills said Mt. Olive plans to hold Sunday Service at their normal hours tomorrow.  "We're going to praise God, no matter what," said Mills.

RELATED: Closings and delays for Sunday, January 7

Church member Helen Sidberry worked indoors to prepare the church. Today was the first day she could leave her home in Hampstead after the storm dumped 4.5 inches of snow.

"It was really bad," said Sidberry. But she said crews helped to clear the area so she could leave this morning.

"It was pretty smooth sailing," said Sidberry. "(Crews) got most of the highway cleared up, except for the little side streets."

On Saturday, Highway 74 was mostly clear for drivers, except for intermittent patches of slick ice causing drivers to slow down out of caution.

At Forest Hills Elementary School, class was not in session Saturday, but families still stopped by the school to play ice hockey outdoors on the slick ice left in the parking lot.

"We got some ice on the ground, so let's play some hockey," said Mike McGrath. "I've been able to get around, things are improving," said McGrath. "Back to life at its normal."

Copyright 2018 WECT. All rights reserved.