According to a new analysis, U.S. Geological Survey stream gauges in the Carolinas recorded many instances of record-setting water levels during Hurricane Florence in September, with the majority of those eclipsing previous historic peaks set just two years prior during Hurricane Matthew.
The damage to North Carolina’s business and infrastructure from Hurricane Florence in early September is estimated at $12.7 billion, according to a report from the governor’s office, and the tally is climbing still.
As October rolls in, slow-moving flood crests and sluggish drainage persisting weeks after the passage of Hurricane Florence are leaving large eastern areas in the affected states too inundated for accurate damage assessments.
Quentin Wheeler, a retired U.S. Navy helicopter pilot and the CEO of a North Carolina company called Applied Drone Systems, has been flying drone missions over flooded towns in southeastern North Carolina during the Hurricane Florence emergency.
