While Florida and the coastal cities of Georgia and South Carolina braced themselves for the brunt of a category 5 hurricane last week, no one would have predicted inland North Carolina would have experienced the worst of Hurricane Matthew. The current death toll from this storm in the U.S. is 22, and 17 of those deaths happened in North Carolina. Three of the latest deaths were from drowning.
The areas around Lumberton, NC are covered in flood waters—a disaster few were prepared for. According to the New York Times article North Carolina, Saturated and Surprised from Hurricane Matthew, one witness, Brittany Graham explained, “My grandpa’s still in shock. He didn’t prepare anything because from what we heard, we were just going to get a little bit of rain. Basically, all his stuff is ruined.”
The trouble was a result of the mix of wind damage and a low saturation tables.
Of course, this news hits us hard here at ScanMyPhotos. Unfortunately, the very nature of natural disasters is highly unpredictable—damage can happen at any place and at any time. Take the recent outbreak of earthquake swarms in Oklahoma. There was no way to predict these damaging earthquakes, and the aftermath has been real, lasting, and devastating to the victims. Or, what about the tornado that touched down in south Los Angeles in 2014 and tore the roof of a home? These freak incidents can and do happen.
This is why we take National Prepardness Month extremely seriously around here. While September is now over, in light of the recent North Carolina disaster, we feel it’s important to share tips on how to prepare for anything. The following articles provide information on how you can prepare for disaster today:
- Observing National Preparedness Month
- As National Preparedness Month Ends, FEMA Reminds Americans that Readiness Must Continue All Year Long
And be sure to visit the following pages for resources and information:
- Gov
- Red Cross
- NOAA
Let’s all take this time to prepare for the worst so that when the next natural disaster strikes, we can all hope for the best.
In the meantime, here’s how we can help North Carolina through this difficult time.
