North Carolina begins the long and arduous task of rebuilding and restoring the state's eastern region that was so brutally wasted by the floods of Hurricane Floyd, it is important to be receptive to the lessons that can only be taught by an episode as cataclysmic as this was. Otherwise we will forfeit an opportunity to approach the future with a heightened sense of balance and perspective. As East Carolina University geologists and others have pointed out, unwise development patterns throughout the flood plains of the east practically guaranteed that a storm such as Floyd would some day cause unimaginable devastation.
T here is no shortage of heroes.
The courage, ingenuity, resilience and generosity of countless individuals and organizations was and remains truly remarkable. From life savers to lifestyle protectors, from shelter workers to evacuees who moved from shelter to shelter, examples of the best of the human spirit abounded. Supplies and funds were donated across the state and across the nation. People who had never been on our campus helped staff our flood-relief center. Complete strangers became best friends to conquer the flood.