In September 1999, Hurricane Floyd brought unprecedented floods to eastern North Carolina. More than 19 inches of rain fall, and the Tar River crested 24 feet above flood stage, and much of Duplin and Greene counties were under water. Thirty-five people died. Seven thousand homes were destroyed, 17,000 more were made uninhabitable, and 56,000 were damaged. In this chapter, we’ll examine the causes, impacts, and legacies — both scientific and personal — of this natural disaster.
Section Contents
- Ten years Later: Remembering Hurricane Floyd's Wave of Destruction
- Hurricane Floyd's Lasting Legacy
- How Does a Hurricane Form?
- Understanding Floods
- Mapping Rainfall and Flooding
- The Evacuation
- Rising Waters
- Damage from Hurricane Floyd
- Floyd and Agriculture
- Cleaning Up After the Flood
- The Problems of Flood Relief
- Preventing Future Floods
- Reclaiming Sacred Ground: How Princeville is Recovering from the Flood of 1999
