Hurricane Floyd, a Category IV storm with wind gusts cresting to Category V levels, reached the North Carolina coast the morning of September 15, 1999. Downgraded to a Category II storm upon landfall, Floyd brought as much as 22 inches of rain. Combined with rains from Hurricane Dennis just weeks earlier, Hurricane Floyd caused record flooding in Central and Eastern North Carolina. North Carolina had never experienced a natural disaster of this magnitude. Strong winds from past hurricanes had brought major destruction; however, Floyd caused extreme flooding that worsened as waters continued to rise several days after the storm passed. A full week went by before the last river crested and storm waters receded.
Central and Eastern North Carolina suffered catastrophic flood-related losses. More homes were flooded due to Hurricane Floyd than any other event in the state's history, and the depth of the floodwater was unparalleled. Numerous communities were isolated, individuals were stranded in trees and on rooftops, and hundreds of water systems were contaminated. At the storm's peak, 235 shelters housed approximately 62,000 hurricane victims. More than one million individuals were left without electricity. Floodwaters tainted with raw sewage, pesticides, agricultural waste and dead farm animals resulted in the condemnation of thousands of homes. Regrettably, 51 people, including two North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) employees, lost their lives. Governor Hunt ultimately declared 66 of North Carolina's 100 counties "disaster areas."
Flooding caused massive damage to Eastern North Carolina's highway infrastructure, closing numerous local routes, as well as such major highways as Interstate 40, Interstate 95, and U.S. 70, 64 and 264. These U.S. highways are vital evacuation routes and also serve as alternate routes to Interstate 40. Many communities became inaccessible by land. Airports closed temporarily, and all 23 airports east of Interstate 95 sustained damage. NCDOT recorded over 2,100 damage sites to its 78,000-mile highway infrastructure. Flooding made recovery efforts difficult and dangerous.
Hurricanes, rock slides, tornadoes, snow, ice and other weather events happen routinely. NCDOT stands strong and ready to respond to these types of events as well as day-to-day traffic incidents and their impacts to transportation. However, nothing could have prepared the Department for the challenges it faced in responding to Hurricane Floyd. The Department delivered a planned, timely and customer-focused response to the massive flooding caused by this devastating storm. NCDOT employees, who in some cases were dealing with the loss of their own homes and belongings, worked long hours and braved adverse conditions to serve the traveling public.