As Hurricane Florence traveled from Bermuda to the coastal United States, it went from a tropical storm to a massive Category 4 hurricane featuring wind speeds up to 140 miles per hour. With the storm on its way, inhabitants scrambled to prepare for the worst.

As the storm approached the Carolinas, residents evacuated and went to live with family members in other areas. Those who did not leave stocked up on food, water, candles, and batteries. They boarded up their windows and doors to help protect themselves from the storm.

As Hurricane Florence closed in, the Carolinas declared a state of emergency, causing the community to be thrown in to a state of panic. They prepared for the worst: no electricity, massive flooding, and the possibility of being trapped and killed.

Sk Rahat ’19 said, “I feel like that they should raise more relief funding, and more volunteers should help out the people in need.”

Although the Carolinas set up preemptive measures to ensure the safety of the structures in the community, the two states struggled to fight the storm. However, the presence of the storm would be nothing compared to the potential aftermath that could destroy the social and economic fabric of many coastal communities.

With the worst of the storm ceased, several obstacles hindered the community’s precautionary development. Excessive flooding had damaged infrastructure and caused many of the homes and buildings to be swept away. A shortage of supplies endangered the survivors of the storm with the possibility of starvation and dehydration. Some of the people decided to stay, ignoring the warnings, and refusing to evacuate the area.

After the storm, survivors tried to brave the most of the unfavorable conditions. But with the conditions surrounding the constituents, they have simply given up on conditions getting better. As the community patiently waited on aid, the states’ governments held out on giving disaster relief.  

But as people tried to return to their communities, other unexpected problems arose from the storm. One of these was the biohazards that had developed in the area because of the magnitude of the storm.

An important environmental impact revolves around flooding. Due to the surge of rising water levels, water plants were shut down, causing hog waste to rise and contaminate ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water. These conditions were exacerbated when the flooding killed approximately 3.4 million chickens and turkeys, poisoning the area with dead poultry.

However, this is not the first hurricane that has hit the Carolinas. Back in 2016, Hurricane Matthew, another super storm, ravaged the same neighborhood, and the population is still feeling the effects. Although the two states have had previous experience in dealing with these disasters, it seems that they are still unprepared for when disaster strikes. Both of the Carolinas were hugely affected by the storm, and the inhabitants of both states are still waiting for support.

In response, the Bronx Science community continues to question the government about how the states are handling the aftermath of Florence. Sk Rahat ’19 said, “I feel like that they should raise more relief funding, and more volunteers should help out the people in need.”