Hurricane Matthew

[Mini Horses]

We still see it on our local news channels. Of course, I am in the area that was hit. The hardest is about 3 hrs out from me and they are truly underwater! It won't stop for a couple more weeks as the run off into these rivers continues. No doubt there are many, many livestock losses that haven't been expressed more than area wide.

The clean up can't begin until the water recedes, then what a mess it is! Many will have lost their homes, farms, livestock and all possessions. In all probability most did not have flood insurance. It will all trickle down the pipeline for a long time as the losses become obvious, businesses close, jobs lost, farms destroyed. Soon it will affect more than those in the immediate flood zone.

I saw this in the little town 7 miles away when another hurricane hit us very hard in Sep/Oct '99. River crested at 17' over flood stage & only roofs could be seen. Several other small towns along the rivers had massive flooding. My farm is high & it was not an issue except for some delays in building my house. Supplies, equipment, etc. Even with Mathew I couldn't leave my house as 1-3 miles out all 3 roads were flooded. One opened the next day.

It is hard to see and realize it happened. I feel for all those who have to go thru this. This is a situation that happens so fast you really can't do much with all the food stockpiles. Just grab the MOST essential and run. You don't even know how bad it will be.

 

[OneFineAcre]

We still see it on our local news channels. Of course, I am in the area that was hit. The hardest is about 3 hrs out from me and they are truly underwater! It won't stop for a couple more weeks as the run off into these rivers continues. No doubt there are many, many livestock losses that haven't been expressed more than area wide.

The clean up can't begin until the water recedes, then what a mess it is! Many will have lost their homes, farms, livestock and all possessions. In all probability most did not have flood insurance. It will all trickle down the pipeline for a long time as the losses become obvious, businesses close, jobs lost, farms destroyed. Soon it will affect more than those in the immediate flood zone.

I saw this in the little town 7 miles away when another hurricane hit us very hard in Sep/Oct '99. River crested at 17' over flood stage & only roofs could be seen. Several other small towns along the rivers had massive flooding. My farm is high & it was not an issue except for some delays in building my house. Supplies, equipment, etc. Even with Mathew I couldn't leave my house as 1-3 miles out all 3 roads were flooded. One opened the next day.

It is hard to see and realize it happened. I feel for all those who have to go thru this. This is a situation that happens so fast you really can't do much with all the food stockpiles. Just grab the MOST essential and run. You don't even know how bad it will be.

The storm in 99 would have been hurricane Floyd.
That was supposed to have been a 500 year flood, but 17 years later and this one the rivers have crested higher than during Floyd.
I heard on the radio yesterday that the number of "poultry" lost was in the millions.

In Floyd it was said that 100,000 hogs, 2 million chickens and 700,000 turkeys died. The numbers for Matthew will likely be similar.

 

[Bunnylady]

And now the flood waters are getting into our area. In the next county over, there has been flooding where the water was rising at the rate of several inches an hour, and rescue personnel were going door-to-door telling people to get out. A number of school systems are still not holding classes, partly because some of the school buildings are in use as emergency shelters.

And to be fair to the media, there are only so many ways to say that people's homes, businesses, etc, are underwater, and saying that they are still underwater isn't exactly 'news.' When visual images are so much a part of reporting, getting an image that gets attention when you are (understandably) barred from the area is hard. Yes, pigs and poultry are big business in North Carolina, and the losses to those who farm them are devastating, but let us not forget what Matthew did in the Caribbean before he came here - that's at least as much of a story as our floods are.

 

[Ferguson K]

Truth.

 

[Bunnylady]

All of the local rivers have crested and the levels are now going down; for a lot of folks, it's time to regroup and rebuild. But our water woes are not over - not by a long chalk. A 48" water line carrying raw water from the river to a treatment plant broke last week; this is one of the main supply lines for water systems in 3 counties. Basically anybody who isn't on a well is now dealing with mandatory water restrictions as they try to keep the pressure up. They aren't absolutely sure why the line broke, but there is speculation that Matthew may have played a part in it; certainly the soggy conditions don't help with getting the repairs made.

 

[Mini Horses]

I used to go to Wilmington for horse shows a few years back. Haven't been to anything, anywhere in quite a while.

Sad that things are going downhill. Did You have damage? I'm fortunate, a bundle of shingles and some tin replacement on the trim above back porch. Only 17 hrs without power. No problem.

 

[Bunnylady]

We had a similar experience - the only things that got moved around were things that weren't tied down (like the 'recyclables' container on the back porch - oops!) Branches, small debris; a few dead pines in the woods lost their tops. The power was off for maybe 20 hours. The problem winds were all on the back side of the storm, the front had all the rain, and it wasn't that rough.

 

[Baymule]

We moved 160 miles north of hurricane country almost 2 years ago. I lived in hurricane country most of my life and only had home damage once, so I consider myself fortunate. I hope everyone comes through this with minimal damage and can pick up and get going again.

 

[Bunnylady]

http://www.wect.com/story/33450017/euescreen-gems-opens-doors-to-red-cross

Ever since Dino de Laurentiis filmed Firestarter here in 1984, Wilmington has had a sort of 'love-hate' relationship with the movie studio. The studio has changed hands and changed names several times, and since the state has scaled back its support, our reputation as "Wilmywood' has faded. But they are still very much a part of this community. To me, the idea of using a sound stage as the command center for the Red Cross was a stroke of genius - it's a perfect fit, and a total 'win' all ways 'round.