After posting the image of Hurricane Florence’s projected path, the storm shifted, veering south where it then pivoted north once more. Fortunately, I can say that the worst damage at my house was the destruction the kids left behind due to being stuck inside with no school for five days. (On the plus side, the poor weather gave me the excuse to stay in and finish work on An Uncertain Confidence which will be going on sale later next month).
However, much of the rest of the state, particularly the south and eastern portions, can’t say the same. Hurricane Florence was downgraded as far as wind speed goes to a shadow of her former self before the eye of the storm made landfall. Unfortunately, once here, she decided to stick around and stay for a while. I don’t entirely blame her. I’ve done the same.
She brought more than three feet of rain in some areas. That’s as deep as some of the local neighborhood swimming pools. Under a normal summer, this might have been welcome as we’re usually under drought conditions, but we’ve seen a lot of rain this summer. What am saying? Three feet of water dumping down on your head over a matter of days is never a good thing.
In any event, the rivers started rising. And rising. And rising, causing a few of our highways to become temporary rivers in their own right.
Thankfully, the rivers have finally crested, meaning the water should soon start to recede, however, there is still another threat to my state. Pig waste. Yup – the downside of living in an area where agribusiness makes up a significant portion of the economy is the sheer amount of animal manure that can escape its containment area which allows fun stuff like E.coli, salmonella, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria to enter into the waterways.
So, its good times here in the Old North State, but I’m confident that life will return to normal at some point. Until then, surf’s up.
Allie Potts Writes 
Great way to end the post–on a high note. Gosh. So sorry for all those people whose homes are awash, literally. And goodness, the cleanup of the water system. Keep us posted on how long it takes for the water to recede. I’m quite curious. God bless you all. Glad you’re safe!
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It’s an absolute mess out there, but the rebuilding has already begun and there are stories every night on the news about people who are volunteering their time, food stuffs, or just generally helping their neighbors out. Not all the news about the storm has to be bad.
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I love how tragedy brings people together. If only people were always so kind and helpful to one another.
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If only!
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Eep. I am glad to hear you’re okay personally, but what a mess for your poor State! 😦
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Thanks. It definitely makes me want to head out to the higher ground at the moment, but it will get better.
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We were lucky in the western part of the state. The wind never got over 9 mph, and we received less than two inches of rain. It was a total non-event. I hope everyone who was affected by Florence regains their equilibrium and is able to move on without lasting effects.
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A friend of mine in Franklin reported something similar, which was a relief as for awhile it looked like the mountains were going to get the deluge of rain too.
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I’m just happy that you and your family are safe!
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😄 I’m pretty happy about that too! Looks like the rivers will be below flood stage by Friday.
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At least you’re not bacon in the hot sun.
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Ha! This was true until Wednesday. And now I’m hungry.
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Glad you didn’t have any flood damage, Allie. We have family around Wilmington, and they were miraculously spared any damage also.
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Oh, thank goodness for that too!
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