{"id":6993,"date":"2016-12-20T13:06:41","date_gmt":"2016-12-20T18:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=6993"},"modified":"2024-08-21T15:50:52","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T19:50:52","slug":"matthews-legacy-water-falling-and-rising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/matthews-legacy-water-falling-and-rising\/","title":{"rendered":"MATTHEW’S LEGACY: WATER FALLING AND RISING"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
In North Carolina, Hurricane Matthew\u2019s fury was the water, not the wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After leaving a thousand dead in Haiti, then moving up the South Atlantic coast, the storm\u2019s outer bands arrived in the state on Oct. 8. But the full impact of the storm continued to unfold days after Matthew left the scene. Thousands of inland residents faced additional flood dangers as rain-soaked rivers swelled to overflow their banks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though the storm\u2019s center never made landfall in North Carolina, the statewide death toll was 28, claiming more than half of the total storm-related fatalities in the United States. Nearly all of the N.C. deaths were attributed to people being swept away in floodwaters while trying to navigate by car or foot, Gov. Pat McCrory explained at news conferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cInitial estimates show the economic damage of disruption to businesses, not accounting for economic activity generated from recovery efforts, is likely to exceed $2 billion,\u201d McCrory stated in a letter to Congress. He requested more than $1 billion in federal assistance on Nov. 14. That initial request included $810 million for community, economic and infrastructure recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe height of the storm and the days following were very hectic as we responded to numerous calls for assistance in a compressed period of time,\u201d recalls Mike Sprayberry, the state\u2019s emergency management director. \u201cThe all-hands-on-deck response from our partners helped save thousands of lives, and helped people recover from traumatic situations \u2014 making the coordinated response well worth the effort.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew\u2019s impacts have drawn comparisons to those of Hurricane Floyd, which devastated much of eastern North Carolina in 1999. After a twofold punch from Hurricane Dennis roughly two weeks earlier, Floyd\u2019s heavy rainfall on saturated soils and brimming rivers resulted in massive flooding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Matthew\u2019s torrential rain swept across central and eastern North Carolina in 2016, approximately 4,000 people initially sought refuge in 109 shelters opened by the American Red Cross in 33 counties, state officials report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite various National Weather Service flood watches and warnings, thousands of other residents were caught off guard, finding themselves stranded in homes and vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About 2,336 water rescues and 90 rescues by helicopter took place over the course of the storm and days following, state officials reported. More than 1,000 N.C. National Guard members assisted emergency responders, matched in number by state troopers. Water-rescue teams from across North Carolina and beyond aided efforts, along with neighbors bringing boats and other assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The peak of the storm left approximately 635 roads inaccessible, the N.C. Department of Transportation reported. Floodwaters even reached to interstate highway systems, washing over portions of Interstate 40 and Interstate 95.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of the state’s 100 counties, 49 were eligible for FEMA assistance by late November. N.C. public safety officials reported more than 75,000 applications for FEMA\/state assistance, with more than $79 million approved to help those affected by the storm. More than 1,000 FEMA representatives were working on recovery efforts in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n