Estimates are that flooding has killed tens of thousands of livestock in North Carolina as a result of Hurricane Matthew. Governor Pat Mcrory said officials would work to clean up the carcasses as fast as possible to avoid freshwater contamination and a potential public health threat. A Washington Post article says the state is trying to avoid a similar problem it experienced back in 1999 when thousands of dead hogs and chickens floated for days in the floodwaters from Hurricane Floyd. The Governor added that a “lot of animals have died, in the thousands.” Matthew Starr of the Waterkeeper Alliance said photos show floodwaters up to the roofs of barns and, in his words, “the flooding is quite terrible.” Brian Long of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture said they have not received any reports of waste lagoons breached by floodwater, but it is a huge concern. It’s not just bad news for livestock farmers. Crop farmers lost millions of dollars in crops for the second year in a row. Ten straight days of rains in 2015 ruined the harvest in eastern North Carolina.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.