Historic Hurricane Floyd to be featured on North Carolina highway marker
RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — A storm that brought historic destruction and flooding to eastern North Carolina will soon be permanently remembered with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker.
The marker commemorating Hurricane Floyd will be unveiled Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 11 a.m. during a small roadside ceremony. It will be placed near Powell Park on NC 33 by the Tar River bridge in Princeville.
Hurricane Floyd made landfall on Sept. 16, 1999, bringing with it what many called a 500-year flood across eastern North Carolina. While the coast saw erosion and structural damage, including in Brunswick and New Hanover counties, the worst destruction came inland as swollen rivers and creeks overwhelmed towns, homes, businesses, and farmland.
Because Hurricane Dennis had saturated the region just weeks earlier, rivers and waterways were already at capacity before Floyd arrived. The additional rainfall pushed water levels to unprecedented heights, leaving thousands trapped in homes and cars overnight. More than 1,500 people were rescued in the days that followed, many airlifted from rooftops, cars, and even treetops.
Floyd ultimately caused an estimated $6 billion in damages, making it the costliest natural disaster in state history. The devastation also prompted state and federal reforms on evacuations and emergency response.
The Highway Historical Marker Program is part of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources in partnership with the N.C. Department of Transportation.
