Up & Coming Weekly

October 11, 2022

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM OCTOBER 12 - 18, 2022 UCW 53 Hurricane Ian reminded us of weather history by D.G. MARTIN Hurricane Ian hit us here in North Carolina last week hard enough to get our attention with its heavy rains and winds. All the news stories about Florida's damage and struggles got us thinking about the many hurricanes that have disrupted our lives and dam- aged our property. We reach back in our past to names like Hugo, Floyd and Fran. Sometimes our memories get confused. A new book, "Fifteen Hurricanes at Changed the Carolinas: Power- ful Storms, Climate Change, and What We Do Next," by hurricane expert Jay Barnes can help us remember. Its chapters span e Great Carolina Hurricane of 1752, to Matthew (2016), and Florence (2018). Each chapter discusses named hurricanes and gives backgrounds and comparisons of storms that occurred in the same time periods. I was most interested in storms dur- ing my lifetime, beginning with Hazel in 1954. Barnes writes, "By most accounts, it was the most destructive hurricane in Tar Heel history. In North Carolina nineteen people were killed; 15,000 homes and structures were destroyed; 39,000 structures were damaged; thirty counties had major damage; and the storm brought an estimated $136 mil- lion in property losses." In 1959, five years after Hazel's epic Category 4 storm, came another high- powered storm, Gracie. en only a year later, writes Barnes, "the Outer Banks were struck with the full fury of Donna. High winds, gusting to 120 mph in some locations, ripped away roofs and toppled miles of telephone and power lines." Donna was "the first storm to strike with hurricane-force winds in Florida, the Carolinas, and New England within the seventy-five-year records of the Weather Bureau." In 1989 came Hugo. It was the "most powerful hurricane to strike the United States in twenty years." In 1996 Fran moved "up the Cape Fear, west of Interstate 40, and into the heart of the Triangle region." It battered every county in its path, "felling millions of trees and knocking out power over a major portion of the state." According to National Weather Ser- vice reports, Fran was responsible for at least $5 billion in damages to property, timber and agriculture in North Caro- lina. Just three years later, Floyd replaced Fran as the state's preeminent weather event. Without question, Barnes writes, "Floyd's winds, tides, and tornadoes were dramatic and destructive, particu- larly along some portions of the coast." But the rainfall and flooding across the region caused damage for which Floyd will be remembered. In the same manner, in 2016 Matthew brought rains that the National Weather Service described as "historic." Fifty counties in North Carolina re- ceived federal disaster declarations, and 100,000 homes and 19,000 businesses were damaged or destroyed. Matthew proved to be a model fol- lowed by Florence in 2018, but Florence outdid Matthew. Barnes writes, "Florence was one for the record books, especially in North Carolina. A total of 44,700 buildings were damaged, eight percent of which were completely destroyed. Overall damages in the Tar Heel State topped a whopping $22 billion, more than four times the toll from Matthew, easily making it the costliest hurricane in state history." "Fifteen Hurricanes" is a wonder- ful book to have handy in hurricane season. But it is more than a collection of compelling stories. It is an important guide to preparing for future storms and minimizing their damages. BEST Local Non Pro t Organization Thank You For Voting Us Thank you for the recognition & support. We especially thank all our local Volunteers and our many Pastors, Missionaries and Volunteers worldwide. We are blessed to do HIS work in the USA and abroad. 2770 Breezewood Avenue • Fayetteville, NC 28303 910-864-3991 HisOutreachWorldwide.org B E S T O F T H E B E S T 2022 Local Non Pro t Organization Local Non Pro t Organization Local Non Pro t Organization LITERATURE D.G. MARTIN, PBS-NC's Bookwatch. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200.

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