Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina in September of 2018. Because of the storm stalling and dumping tremendous amounts of rainfall, the damage and flooding were extensive and devastating. My parents, cousins and many other friends and family members could no longer live in their homes until they were gutted, repaired and some of them raised. For my parents, this meant their home, their home office next door and my grandmother's house, where my mom grew up were all flooded. Below is a glimpse of the flood waters receding and the cleanup process. All of the debris, belongings, furniture, fixtures and anything in the piles in front of these homes was all lost. Masks were worn because of how bad it smelled and the water was toxic. It took over a year to rip apart, clean out, clean up, repair, and raise their home before they were able to move back in. My parents were fortunate to have flood insurance on their home, but not their office. There are so many folks that did not have insurance, as they had no idea where they lived would flood. Many homes have well water and many of those wells are unusable still because of contamination. One thing that devastation can do is bring people together. Friends, family and even strangers have all pitched in their time and energy in helping. And for that, we are are forever grateful.
All photos in this section were shot on an iPhone.
