The winds and rains of Hurricane Floyd have devastated parts of eastern North Carolina, and now we must commit ourselves to rebuilding the communities, lives and livelihoods of North Carolinians. As we rightly rush to relieve the suffering and rebuild our communities, we must be guided by principles that will decrease public health threats, environmental destruction and property loss that we face in future natural disasters. Those mistakes include building homes, businesses, farms, factories and sewage treatment plants where they and the communities around them are particularly vulnerable to nature's hazards. We have intensely developed our lands in sensitive ecological areas and destroyed our wetlands such that they are less capable of absorbing floodwaters. We cannot stop hurricanes, but we can rebuild wisely in ways that help minimize the personal devastation and public costs from future storms.
Intensive efforts are now underway to secure state and federal emergency assistance.
As the state moves forward to identify and secure these funds, the following principles must guide our decision making in these critical days and months ahead. EDF's Dr. Joseph Rudek cites a history of research indicating that leaking nitrogen ammonia can concentrate in the soil below the bottom of a lagoon . If a lagoon dries out or cracks, these nitrogen pollutants can be washed through the soil and into the groundwater. If not properly managed, inactive lagoons can fill up with rain and overflow or contaminants can leach into groundwater. Principles to Keep Citizens Out of Harm's Way Remove sources of pollution from the 100-year floodplain.