In the 10 years since Hurricane Floyd flooded many parts of North Carolina, some say that state has learned a lot of about disaster preparedness and the need for better flood maps and building practices. Others aren't as convinced and point to the coastal and riverfront building booms that have put more people living in harm's way.
The Fayetteville Observer's editorial staff writes today:
"In the past 10 years, the state has seen a housing boom on the coast and along the big rivers. Another one-two punch from a pair of hurricanes could flood even more homes and farms than ever. And like 10 years ago, they also would flood thousands of hog-farm "lagoons," the open pools of waste that are the least desirable feature of this state's massive pork industry, and spread toxic liquid across the landscape and into public water supplies. Do we really want that to happen again?"
Floyd killed 52 people in North Carolina and caused about $6 billion in property damage and another $1 billion in agricultural losses.
Environmental losses also piled up, as oils, chemicals and both human and animal waste polluted rivers, WRAL-TV reports. In many communities, vacant lots and empty buildings still serve as reminders of where homes and businesses stood before Floyd hit.
Federal and state funds helped rebuild eastern North Carolina.
And the state created new flood maps. Floyd's flood waters revealed significant faults in the old ones.
"We determined that about 80 percent of the homes damaged or destroyed at the time were not accurately depicted in the flood zone," John Dorman, director of the N.C. Flood Mapping program, told WRAL-TV.
Ten years later, North Carolina has fewer homes and businesses in the flood plain and better emergency response capability, according to WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel. The state seems much better prepared for the next big flood, even a 500-year flood like Floyd.
"Call it a 500-year flood doesn't necessarily mean it's going be another 500 years before it happens," Fishel said.
Floyd came ashore at 6:30 a.m. as a category 2 hurricane near Cape Fear in Hanover County. Packing winds of 138 mph, the storm veered in a northwest direction then curled northeast before passing into Virginia.
Floyd dumped as much as 23 inches of rain in some areas. The impact, in the hours and days that followed, was extensive. The Tar River at Tarboro reached 40.9 feet, a record high. The previous record was at 34 feet in 1919. The river’s flood stage is normally 19 feet.
Pasquotank-Camden Emergency Management Coordinator Christy Saunders agrees Floyd taught the area many lessons.
“At the state level and county level we’re much better prepared now because of Floyd,” Saunders told The Daily Advance.
State officials and scientists are meeting in Greenville, N.C., later this week for a symposium hosted by East Carolina University’s Center for Natural Hazards. The event, set during the Hurricane Floyd anniversary, is geared for local leaders and emergency management officials who would have a major role in storm planning and response.
Saunders said state and local planners have taken lessons from not only Floyd and Hurricane Isabel in 2003, but storms in other places, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A resulting policy change in recent years is the agreements that Pasquotank and Camden counties have in place with inland counties to evacuate residents depending on a storm’s estimated trajectory.
The flooding also opened the eyes of residents and business owners to change how they build and insure buildings.
“People that lived in areas in the northern part of the county never thought they needed flood insurance,” Saunders told The Daily Advance.
Learn more about basic steps to protect your home or business from damaging hurricanes with help from the IBHS Hurricane Preparedness Guide.
