Hurricane Florence formed off the west coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean around Aug. 31, 2018. In its rage, the hurricane devastated at large North and South Carolina and finally broke up on Sept. 19. This natural disaster became a category four major hurricane when it was at its most intense.
The Carolinas were hit the most in the United States and suffered the effects of heavy rains and massive flooding. In just Elizabethtown, North Carolina alone, there was a total of 35.93 inches of rainfall as of Sept. 17 due to Hurricane Florence. Property damages in the US are more than $38 billion.
Evacuation orders went out on Sept. 10 and Sept. 11. Roughly one million people were advised to evacuate from their homes in South Carolina’s coastline. About 245,000 people living in Virginia’s coastal areas of Eastern Shore and Hampton Roads were given a mandatory order to evacuate. Most evacuations went into effect Sept. 11.
The death toll has risen to 48 people in the US from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. This includes both direct and indirect causes from the storm. In the farms of North Carolina, it is estimated that 3.4 million chickens and turkeys as well as 5,500 pigs died as a result of flooding. Domestic pets also fell victim to Hurricane Florence.
As far as relief efforts go, Congress is trying to issue a financial package for North and South Carolina. Currently in the works is a package of $1.7 billion in which Congress began discussing Sept. 23.