From the editor: How Hurricane Florence changed my perspective on flooding

Sherry Jones, Wilmington StarNews
·2 min read
Hurricane Florence dumped inches of rain on the Cape Fear region, causing flooding in many neighborhoods.
Hurricane Florence dumped inches of rain on the Cape Fear region, causing flooding in many neighborhoods.

Living along the North Carolina coast, flooding is something we’ve long had to deal with. Until Hurricane Florence in 2018, though, it was something I covered as a journalist, not something I had experienced.

As Florence dumped inch after inch of rain on us, I spent countless minutes – perhaps hours – staring out the window as the water was rising in the street and inching up the front yard.

We packed up our valuables and keepsakes and made several attempts to escape the neighborhood. But the streets were too flooded. So we moved the boxes to the second floor.

Meanwhile, we didn’t have electricity, so our access to outside information was limited. But we knew that communities across the region were dealing with similar worries and some homes nearby had already flooded.

All I could do at that point was hope for the best. Thankfully, my house did not flood, but my neighborhood did – stranding us for several days.

Sherry Jones is the StarNews executive editor.
Sherry Jones is the StarNews executive editor.

More: As researchers work to improve flooding forecasts, is NC losing the battle on the ground?

This gave me a new perspective on what residents in our area face regularly. As a result, I found today’s cover story from Gareth McGrath particularly interesting. He looks at a new modeling approach being developed by North Carolina researchers. It’s designed to offer officials a more complete picture of the flooding threat facing coastal communities.

With the amount of development that’s occurring here and the effects of climate change taking hold, it’s essential that residents have a better understanding of the potential for flooding in their communities.

Although flooding can happen anytime of the year, it’s especially important for residents to take time in advance of hurricane season, which begins June 1, to prepare. We’ve seen storms before the season starts and after it has ended. Make sure you have a plan.

Sherry Jones is the StarNews executive editor. She can be reached at sjones1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Hurricane Florence changed my perspective on flooding in Wilmington, NC