Full image, 71Kb JPG

This RADARSAT ScanSAR Narrow image shows flooded areas of North Carolina. The image was acquired on September 25, 1999 at 11:16 UTC time. CCRS scientists processed and interpreted the data to show flooded areas. Both road and river vectors were superimposed on the imagery. Streamflow data coinciding with the time of the RADARSAT acquisition were collected from three stations; Tar River at Greenville, Neuse River near Kinston, and NE Cape Fear near Chinquapin. The final product shows flooded areas in light blue, rivers in dark blue, roads in red and coastline in green.

North Carolina Streamflow Data obtained from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on the date of the RADARSAT acquisition shows the station level for Tar River at Greenville (located at A on the image) at 4.1 m above the floodstage; for Neuse River near Kinston (located at B on the image) at 3.79 m above floodstage and NE Cape Fear near Chinquapin (located at C on the image) at .63 m above floodstage.

North Carolina was hit by Hurricane Dennis in early September. Within weeks of Hurricane Dennis, Hurricane Floyd hit dropping roughly 50 centimetres of rain. Cleanup of North Carolina had just begun when a cold front brought more rain.

Flooding in North Carolina killed 48 people and destroyed 3800 homes. Approximately $60 million is expected to be spent to buy 4000 mobile homes to house flood victims. Damage from the floods is expected to exceed the $6 billion in damage caused by Hurricane Fran in 1996, North Carolina's costliest disaster to that date.