State environmental inspectors flew over farms in eastern North Carolina this weekend to survey the impact of Hurricane Matthew. The aerial tours indicate that some lagoons were inundated by floodwaters but did not show any confirmed breaches or overtopping.
“We are cautiously optimistic that North Carolina’s swine operations have survived the storm without experiencing the catastrophic damage we saw during Hurricane Floyd,” said Donald R. van der Vaart, secretary of the state environmental department. “We will know more as floodwaters recede in the days to come but we are heartened by what we have seen so far.”
Flooding has made roads in many of the hardest-hit counties impassible and prevented inspectors from reaching farms. The state environmental department will increase field visits by staff as road conditions allow. The department is investigating 11 reports of flooded lagoons but has not received any confirmed reports of lagoons that breached or overtopped.