"Aerial photographs show widespread devastation to farms and industrial sites in eastern North Carolina, with tell-tale trails of rainbow-colored sheen indicating potential contamination visible on top of the black floodwaters.

However, conditions remain so bad more than five days after Hurricane Florence made landfall that the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality said its inspectors have been unable to visit the hardest hit areas or collect samples of the floodwater for lab testing. The agency’s regional office in Fayetteville had one foot of water inside, while other locations were without electricity.

“DEQ is waiting for travel conditions to improve ... before we can safely inspect the damage reported by farmers to the hog lagoons,” said Megan Thorpe, spokeswoman for the state environmental agency. “Personally, our staff are facing damage to their homes and those who evacuated are trying to get back. Many staff are helping their colleagues with cleanup.”"

Michael Biesecker reports for the Associated Press September 20, 2018. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"3.4 Million Poultry, 5,500 Hogs Drowned In Florence Flooding" (AP) [3]