Oral history interview with Bernice Cavenaugh and Betsy Easter, December 8, 1999
Subtitle: Interview K-0279. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Easter, Betsy, interviewee; Thompson, Charles D., Jr. (Charles Dillard), 1956- interviewer; Southern Oral History Program; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
Edition: Electronic ed.
Publisher: University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
Published: 2005
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Hurricane Floyd, 1999; Floods; Flood damage; Disaster relief; Community life; United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency; United States
Other titles: Interview K-0279. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with Bernice Cavenaugh and Betsy Easter, December 8, 1999; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: In this interview, Bernice Cavenaugh and her daughter, Betsy Easter, describe enduring Hurricane Floyd's flooding and its aftermath. They tell a story of fear, confusion, and frustration that reveals a lack of preparation, disorganized and inequitable government compensation, and significant challenges to community bonds. Cavenaugh and Easter evacuated late, having heard nothing about the flooding until it was at their doorsteps, and their efforts at relief proceeded with little help from equally overwhelmed neighbors, who, according to Easter, are generally unhelpful anyway. Government help arrived in the form of inadequate and limiting loans from government agencies and Marines who completely cleared out Cavenaugh's house, despite her desire to salvage some property. The two plan to be better prepared next time and to clean up without help. This interview offers useful insight into community dynamics and flood preparation and paints a vivid picture of the bureaucratic confusion that followed the confusion of the flooding itself.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on Oct. 8, 2007).

Interview participants: Bernice Cavenaugh, interviewee; Betsy Easter, interviewee; Charles Thompson, interviewer; Rob Amberg; Chris, Betsy's client.

Duration: 01:34:03

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-CH digital library, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Natalia Smith and Mike Millner.  Sound recordings digitized by Steve Weiss and Seth M. Kotch.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files : 125.1 kilobytes, 172.2 megabytes.

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series K. Southern Communities, Interview K-0279, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Original transcript: 56 p.

Funding from the University of North Carolina Library supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements:  Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player.