Hurricane Floyd: The storm, the aftermath

Hurricane Floyd struck North Carolina on Sept. 16, 1999. Floyd killed 52 people in North Carolina - most of whom drowned as they tried to flee to higher ground in their cars. The floods destroyed about 8,000 homes and damaged more about 67,000. About 12,000 businesses were damaged.


Hurricane Floyd struck North Carolina on Sept. 16, 1999, just 10 days after Tropical Storm Dennis dumped 6 to 16 inches of rain across the eastern part of the state.

The ground was already saturated when Floyd dumped another 12 to 20 inches of rain. Rivers overflowed their banks and floodwaters began to cover roads and inundate entire communities.

Floyd killed 52 people in North Carolina – most of whom drowned as they tried to flee to higher ground in their cars. More than 87,000 people registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The floods destroyed about 8,000 homes and damaged more about 67,000. About 12,000 businesses were damaged.

The flooding caused about $6 billion in property damage and halted agricultural production in eastern North Carolina, causing more than $1 billion in farm losses. The floods killed nearly 3 million chickens and turkeys and more than 30,000 hogs.