The truth was that floating caskets were just one of the grim problems facing North Carolina. In the aftermath of the massive floods caused by Hurricanes Dennis and Floyd, authorities reported that at least 42 people had been killed and about 30,000 homes had been damaged, at least 1,600 beyond repair. Total property losses were estimated at $6 billion, a record for a natural disaster in North Carolina, and with losses of at least $1 billion, the state’s farm economy was in shambles. By state estimates, the floods killed 2.4 million chickens, 500,000 turkeys and 230,000 hogs.
Concerned by the threat to public health, state and local officials were pushing hard to collect the rotting animal carcasses and burn them. Steve Cline, a state epidemiologist, played down the risk of a major outbreak of disease but conceded that diarrhea, tetanus and hepatitis A were potential hazards. So is an intestinal parasite called cryptosporidium, which can be fatal in some cases. “They say we should stay away from mosquitoes, too,” said Kent Hardison of tiny Kinston, N.C. “Now how are you supposed to do that?”
Many of the animal carcasses were floating down rivers full of raw sewage, pesticides, fertilizer and other chemicals–an environmental catastrophe in the making. The sad truth was that much of eastern North Carolina smelled awful last week, and experts said it may be months before the impact on coastal ecosystems can be known. “There’s a long list of very evil things in that polluted water,” said Larry Cahoon, a biologist at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington. “It’s appallingly dangerous right now.”
