The gigantic hurricane Florence plodded across the Carolinas over the weekends, bringing catastrophic flooding and literally neck-breaking gusts of wind. Multiple deaths and an insurmountable amount of damages followed after which financial experts have estimated to reach close to USD$20 billion in total.
According to the financial report from Fortune, the storm posed threat to the already struggling industry in North Carolina as well as the state's sprawling tobacco crops which many feared will drown in more than 2 feet of rainfall falling across the East coast.
Citing the statement given by N. Carolina Governor Roy Cooper on Saturday, the state official revealed the dire condition they are facing in with walls of water looming along the coast, flooding the rivers, submerging acres of farmlands, while drowning cities and towns alike.
Confirming the earlier statement released by the National Hurricane Center, Gov. Cooper said that the rainfall brought by Florence is epic in proportion and it is feared that the swollen situation will continue to tread on over the next few days.
A major catastrophe to hit the Carolinas this year, Florence is expected to cause more or less USD$18 billion in damages, the publication stated.
During the storm surge, close to 700,000 customers from both North and South Carolinas suffered power curtailment. Majority of these clients were from N. Carolina.
As previously told in a report from this site, almost the entire southeastern parts of North Carolina was without power as early as Thursday last week. Utility service providers confirmed destruction of electric infrastructures which could take for weeks to repair.
Spillage
There were also reports of spillage which, by estimation, reached to a whopping 5.25 million gallons of treated wastewater. According to authorities, the spills may contain chemicals used to clean the water which, in effect, could potentially harm humans and the wildlife.
Structures Destroyed
A report from Charlotte Observer, meanwhile, pointed out the destruction Florence made along the coastal areas of North Carolina.
Places like the Currituck County, Dare County, Hyde, Carteret, Pender, and a lot more others, suffered the same fate of literally being run over by Florence as it made its way westward.
Docks, ports, piers, wharves, and even basic utility structures weren't spared during the surge.
Total Bill
As already specified by Fortune, the total bill the two states could incur because of Florence may reach $18 billion. Disaster research institute at Enki Research in Savannah, Georgia said that around $15 billion will fall for North Carolina, $2 billion for its southern neighbor, and $1 billion elsewhere in the country.
