Municipal sewage systems jettisoned tens of millions of gallons of untreated human waste into Hurricane Florence floodwaters, dwarfing the hog manure lagoon discharges state and national media cited as public health and environmental hazards. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality issued preliminary estimates…
Legislative leaders plan to allocate $794 million for Hurricane Florence disaster relief when they return to special session on Monday, Oct. 15. Most of the money will come from the $2.1 billion Rainy Day Fund Republicans built up over recent years to prevent tax increases or…
A new poll from Elon University shows some North Carolina voters have changed their minds about climate change as this hurricane season continues to bring strong winds and massive flooding. The Elon University Poll surveyed 848 North Carolina voters between…
Gov. Roy Cooper has asked the General Assembly to authorize $1.5 billion to cover the state’s portion of what initial estimates show is nearly $13 billion in damage caused by Hurricane Florence. In a statement issued Wednesday, Oct. 10, Cooper said he wants the legislature to…
Gov. Roy Cooper says the urgency of dealing with Hurricane Florence recovery led him to sign executive orders re-establishing six state agencies tied up in litigation with the General Assembly. The Democratic governor’s office said in a written statement Monday his actions involve the…
Recovery from Hurricane Florence will be long and hard. But as the waters recede, the strength of North Carolinians shines. We’ve been here before. From 1851 to 2018, North Carolina has been hit by 65 hurricanes. Hurricane Hazel in the 1950s set a benchmark, and Hurricanes Fran, Floyd,…
Hurricane Florence severely damaged schools across North Carolina and left hundreds of thousands of children without homes or classrooms. State education officials are working to return the communities back to normal with help from charitable giving and the legislature. Education officials outlined the devastation wrought…
State lawmakers told tales of destruction of and struggles in hurricane-battered communities before unanimously approving $56.5 million spread over two emergency response bills. Debate was muted as members voted on the bipartisan measures, which House and Senate appropriations subcommittees approved earlier Tuesday, Oct. 2. With…
State Rep. Jimmy Dixon, R-Duplin, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, says waste-handling operations at North Carolina hog farms functioned as intended in the flooding of Hurricane Florence. But state Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, has a different takeaway. “Short answer is that the lagoons haven’t held up well in…
Hurricane Florence caused severe flooding in several counties across eastern and central North Carolina, putting thousands of people and their pets in danger. In Wayne County, Tammie Hedges, founder of the nonprofit animal shelter Crazy’s Claws N’ Paws, decided to shelter 27 dogs and cats away from the flooding. For…
