Impact of Hurricane Florence continues to be felt throughout the Carolinas

 

Impact of Hurricane Florence continues to be felt throughout the Carolinas

By
Matthew Taylor

29 September 2018

Two weeks after Hurricane Florence first made landfall on the North Carolina coast, its impact is still being felt throughout the region. The death toll now stands at 48 across the three states—North and South Carolina and Virginia—most directly affected by Florence, with 37 of those in North Carolina. The latest reported fatality was an 85-year-old North Carolina man who, while cleaning up storm debris, suffered an injury that later became infected, causing his death.

Throughout North Carolina, an estimated 1,500 people remain in shelters.

On Friday, the North Carolina Coastal Federation issued a warning to residents advising them to avoid coastal waters for the time being due to pollution caused by flooding runoff. Over 30 inches of rain fell on the region due to Florence, inundating the ground and causing a large amount of agricultural and industrial waste to flow into the area’s waterways. This has caused elevated levels of bacteria in coastal waters.

The Fayetteville Observer has reported an outbreak of large mosquitoes due to the vast amounts of standing water left over from the storm. Mosquitoes breed in puddles and wherever stagnant pools of water can be found, and the storm has caused a much larger than usual number of mosquito eggs to hatch. Local residents say it is the worst mosquito outbreak in their lifetimes, with some of the breeds being up to 3/8 of an inch long. The state has allocated $4 million for mosquito eradication efforts.

Residents in Lumberton, North Carolina have sought approval from a federal judge to file a class action lawsuit against the railroad giant CSX for blocking efforts to improve the community’s flood prevention…

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