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On September 10, 2018, the National Hurricane Center warned residents of Virginia and North and South Carolina that the tropical storm was approaching quickly and could landing like a category 5 hurricane. The agency also predicted extended heavy rains over much of the Atlantic and the Carolinas. While Florence was declassed In a Category 1 storm when she hit the area on September 15, she still managed to dump 23 inches of rain in South Carolina and 35 inches in North Carolina in just four days.
What aggravated the situation is that Florence languishing6 km / h and its rhythm proximity to the shoreline that provided the storm with unlimited access to steam from the warm Atlantic Ocean. While Florence caused substantial The damage to the structures and the loss of power of thousands of people when they hit the ground, the aftermath of the storm are even more serious. The trillions of gallons of rainwater that enter rivers and streams cause floods proportions.
More than 8,100 residents of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia were forced to clear out, still live in Red Cross shelters or with family and friends. Some are waiting for the water levels for retreatwhile others can not go home because the roads remain closed or because they have no way to get there. Some of the streets in Kinston, North Carolina, are so flooded that the National Guard uses helicopters to distribute water to failed residents. While farmers in North Carolina managed to escape, their animals were not so lucky. Although they moved higher before the storm, a valued An estimated 3.4 million poultry and 5,500 pigs drowned. In South Carolina, floods have damaged crops of cotton, peanuts and hemp.
And the danger is far from over. About a dozen rivers in North Carolina and South Carolina have overflowed. Of particular concern is the continued swelling of the 140-mile Waccamaw River, which runs through both states. North Carolina officials have asked residents living along the river, especially those in Brunswick County, to evacuate and move to safer locations.
When the water ends recedesResidents of North Carolina will not only have to deal with the usual cleaning problems, but also the health risks caused by its key industries: hog farming and electricity generation from coal.
Home to nine million hogs, North Carolina is known for its pork "lagoons" – man-made pits or man-made pits – that store animal waste and allow it to break down Reduce the pollution. On 18 September, the State Environmental Quality Department reported that four of the "lagoons" had been raped allowing manure to escape, 13 others had overflowed their banks due to rainwater, and nine others had been flooded flooding nearby streams. Although it is still not known how much waste is in the rainwater, even small excreta exposures, which contain bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella, can important health problems for residents.
Then there is the danger that the ashes of coal also pollute the water supply. Industrial waste, generated by coal-fired power plants, contains heavy metals, including arsenic, lead and mercury, which pose health risks. Like pork waste, ashes are collected in landfills located near power plants. On September 20, 2018, the operator of the Duke Energy Generating Station reported that about 2,000 cubic yards of hazardous waste had been displaced from one of the dumps. Erin Culbert, spokesperson for the company says"We have no indication that the ashes went into the cooling pool," he promised to continue monitoring the situation.
While the road to recovery will be long, Americans are doing everything they can to help affected residents. In addition to President Trump's promise to receive full federal support to help pay the estimated $ 22 billion in damages caused by the hurricane, at the national level send donations to non-profit organizations that help the victims of the storm. On September 18, 2018, Michael Jordan, six-time NBA champion and owner of the Chicago Hornets, who grew up playing basketball in Wilmington, North Carolina, donated $ 2 million to the cause. In addition, members of the Hornets organization are collecting 5,000 boxes for food banks in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team also partnered with the NBA's Fanalics merchandising company, to help fundraise with a special T-shirt, with the Hornets logo in the middle of the Carolinas states with the words "Carolina Strong" around.
Resources: CNN.com, Vox, com, NPR.org, Wikipedia.org
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