Florence in photos
Slideshow
As water from the Little River starts to seep into her Spring Lake, N.C. home, Bob Richling carries Iris Darden to safety. Flood waters from the cresting rivers inundated the area days after the passing of Hurricane Florence. At least 36 deaths have been attributed to the storm. (©Joe Raedle)
Waves created as Hurricane Florence nears land are seen along Cherry Grove Fishing Pier in North Myrtle Beach on Sept. 14. (©Joe Raedle)
People push a vehicle that stalled as it passed through the flood waters crossing the road after Hurricane Florence passed through Warsaw, N.C. (©Joe Raedle)
Flood waters are seen around the Church of the Covenant as the Little River over-flows its banks on September 17 in Spring Lake, North Carolina. (©Joe Raedle)
People clean debris away from storm drains near Wilmington, N.C. Hurricane Florence hit Wilmington as a category 1 storm causing widespread damage and flooding along the Carolina coastline. (©Mark Wilson)
Hog farms and their waste lagoons across North Carolina were flooded by Hurricane Florence, sending contaminants into the floodwaters and rivers. (©Waterkeeper Alliance)
In New Bern, N.C. a resident holds up a photograph blown out of a person’s home after a four-foot storm surge produced by Hurricane Florence ripped through condos along the Nuese River September 15. (©Chip Somodevilla)
Residents stop to photograph a section of the Highway 17 exit ramp that remains closed a day after Hurricane Florence’s storm surge washed it out September 15. (©Chip Somodevilla)
These photos are just a sliver of the many ways Hurricane Florence clobbered our region as she lumbered through after making landfall on Friday, Sept. 14. Derb Carter, Director of SELC’s North Carolina offices, and a North Carolina native, offered these words after the storm.
Hurricane Florence has dealt a devastating blow to eastern North Carolina. My hometown of Fayetteville was particularly hard hit as the Cape Fear River reached a near record flood stage. Days of rainfall in many areas was measured in feet, not inches, and some rivers did not crest until long after the rain moved on. There will be time to assess coal ash spills, flooded industrial hog operations and lagoons, sewage spills, and how climate change is contributing to sea level rise and the frequency and intensity of storms. Now the focus should be on recovery and restoring the lives of the many North Carolinians affected by the winds, rains, and flooding. As floodwaters recede, power is restored, roads are opened, and the people who can return to their homes, know that SELC will be here, helping to forge the path forward.
Derb Carter, Director of SELC’s North Carolina offices
There are many organizations looking to assist as communities rebuild. Here are two lists with resources on how to help, one from the Charlotte Observer and one from The New York Times.