[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 131 (Wednesday, September 16, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2287-E2288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          REMEMBERING THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF HURRICANE FLOYD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. G. K. BUTTERFIELD

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 16, 2009

  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Madam Speaker, this week we mark 10 years since the 
floodwaters of Hurricane Floyd devastated eastern North Carolina, 
killing 52 people, causing over $6 billion in damage, and leaving 
thousands homeless. In the eastern part of the state, it is known 
simply as ``The Flood.'' It remains the most devastating natural 
disaster in our state's history.
  On September 16th, 1999, Hurricane Floyd hit North Carolina as a 
strong Category 2 hurricane. Hurricane Floyd made landfall at Cape Fear 
and moved north along Interstate 95, hitting eastern North Carolina 
with 100-mph winds and up to two feet of rain. Of the two, the rain 
proved the more fatal element. Arriving on the heels of Hurricane 
Dennis, which had already soaked the ground and water table, Floyd's 
rains created massive flooding.
  Over a period of a month, nearly every river basin in eastern North 
Carolina exceeded 500-year flood levels. The cresting waters destroyed 
7,000 homes, left 17,000 uninhabitable, and damaged 56,000. The brave 
men and women of the National Guard and the Coast Guard performed 
nearly 1,700 freshwater rescues of people trapped on the roofs of their 
homes due to the rapid rise of the water. In total, Floyd was 
responsible for 57 fatalities in the United States, mostly in North 
Carolina.
  Sixty-six counties in North Carolina were declared federal disaster 
areas. There were more than $6 billion in losses of property and 
agriculture. After the storm, over 88,500 North Carolinians registered 
state or federal disaster aid.
  Every community I represent was in some way affected by ``The 
Flood.'' From flooded towns of Greenville, Kinston, Tarboro, Snow

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Hill and Rocky Mount, where 30 percent of the city was underwater, to 
communities on higher ground that served as refuges for newly homeless 
neighbors, nearly every person in the eastern North Carolina 
experienced the Flood in a real way. But one of the hardest hit 
communities was Princeville, North Carolina. Princeville was completely 
submerged for more than a week--people's homes were underwater and the 
business community was virtually leveled.
  Princeville, originally called Freedom Hill, is the oldest town 
incorporated by African-Americans in the United States. It was settled 
in 1865 by newly freed slaves on low and soggy swampland across the Tar 
River from the town of Tarboro. It had survived smaller floods over the 
years, but The Flood of 1999 nearly killed this historic town. With 
water up to the rooftops, FEMA offered the people of Princeville a 
buyout to abandon the town.
  Though a difficult decision, the town rejected the offer 3-2. At the 
time, Mayor Delia Perkins said, ``Rebuilding is staying with your 
heritage. We plan to stay.''
  The community's struggle to rebuild attracted the attention of many 
people, including then-President Bill Clinton. President Clinton issued 
Executive Order (EO) 13146, tasking an interagency President's Council 
with developing ``assessments and recommendations to repair and rebuild 
Princeville, and, to the extent practicable, protect Princeville from 
future floods.'' Hosts of other national figures visited and lent their 
support. Today, much of the town is rebuilt, though a handful of 
flooded homes still await demolition.
  Today we remember the devastation caused by the Hurricane Floyd flood 
of 1999. The scars are still seen on the sides of buildings and in the 
hearts of people, but these communities have overcome and continue to 
work toward full recovery after these 10 years.

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