Hurricane Florence has shut down most farming and food processing in North and South Carolina.
Hog-packing and chicken-processing plants closed before the rains and flooding began.
Farmers have little choice but to watch the devastation, which includes flooding manure lagoons and in some cases flooded barns resulting in drowned herds and flocks.
There is a large coastal plain where rivers drop only two feet over a 40-kilometre stretch to the ocean.
Those areas are flooding from two sources – an ocean surge of six to 10 feet, then persistent torrential rain that is going to last several days.
It will be weeks before fields will be dry enough to support equipment.
But he said all that before the rains began to push flood waters to record highs.
Despite the obvious disaster that’s unfolding, Andy Curliss, chief executive officer for the North Carolina Pork Council, said things are fine.
He said many hogs have been moved out and that manure lagoons have more capacity than usual because of a dry summer.
My wife and I have volunteered on disaster response a number of times in these areas of the Carolinas, so unfortunately know the type of damage being done.
What amazes me is that governments allow large hog farms with huge manure lagoons to establish on this coastal plain. It's a recipe for certain disaster.
