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Hurricane Floyd in Rocky Mount

Hurricane Floyd looked omnious in the Atlantic just days before it hit North Carolina in September 1999. States all along the eastern seaboard were preparing for the worst. Millions of people were evacuated from Florida upwards through the Carolinas. Even though it was downgraded from a category 4 hurricane, it did unspeakable damage. Over 40 lives were lost andover $1 billion in damages, mostly from flooding. The structure alone of Floyd was enough be in awe of. On September 13 a rare characteristic was noticed. Hurricane Floyd has a double eye.

When Floyd finally did hit, most damage was done by flooding, rather than by winds. Storm surges were reported around 3-5 feet. Rainfall in alot of areas exceeded 20 inches. Since the ground was already saturated by other hurricanes that struck that season, the excess rain ran into rivers and streams, causing secondary flooding in areas remotely close to a waterway.

North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt said it was the worst flooding North Carolina had ever seen. President Clinton ordered a Federal Declaration of Disaster for North Carolina.

September 13 1999
Residents of North Carolina knew about the power of Hurricane Floyd after countless warnings began streaming across our television sets. You couldn't do anything but sit there and hold on.

September 14 1999

Governor Jim Hunt declare a State of Emergency for the state of North Carolina. What this means is the state government can use all of its resources at its disposal for damages.

Crime Control and Public Safety Secretary Richard Moore said
"We can't stress how dangerous this storm is going to be and how widespread the impact may be." He went on to say "This storm is so strong and moving so fast that even with landfall in South Carolina hurricane-force winds could be felt all the way up into West Virginia and almost to Pennsylvania"

September 15 1999

Landfall is made at Cape Fear leaving more than 170,000 people in North and South Carolina without power.

High wind warnings are in effect for every region from Raleigh and Fayetteville to the coast.

A Flash Flood Warning took effect for Central North Carolina.

A Tornado Watch is in effect in eastern North Carolina until Thursday 9 am.

President Clinton declares 67 North Carolina counties a Federal Disaster Area.

September 16 1999

People become stranded all across eastern North Carolina as roads flood and become closed. I-40 and I-95 the states two major interstates are closed due to extremely dangerous driving conditions.

September 17 1999

State officials consider eastern North Carolina closed.

Most of Rocky Mount is reported to be under water with people stranded without food and water.

Tar River	Flood Stage	Current Level
Rocky Mount	15.0 ft	32.2 ft
Tarboro	19.0 ft	32.1 ft

September 18 1999

Curfews go into effect.

With massive air rescue efforts taking place in Rocky Mount, the air space surrounding the area becomes restricted.

September 19 1999

Some residents in Rocky Mount are allowed to return to their homes.

200 people are living in 3 shelters in Rocky Mount.

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All photos are courtesy of WRAL News