Hurricane Matthew generated devastating flooding across central and eastern North Carolina in October 2016 after the storm brushed past the coastline on Oct. 8, 2016. The hurricane dumped more than a foot of rain 100 miles inland, swelling streams and rivers to levels above what Hurricane Floyd produced in 1999.
Some of the hardest hit counties were Cumberland, Robeson, Wayne, Johnston, Harnett, Lenoir, Nash and Edgecombe. At least 26 North Carolinians lost their lives. About 1 million homes were without power, some for days. Hundreds of roads were closed, including I-95 and I-40, and thousands of people were forced to leave their homes, some plucked from rooftops by the Coast Guard.