All of the flooding that is underway in North Carolina following the passage of Hurricane Matthew has caused tremendous problems for livestock producers. The Washington Post noted here that “At least tens of thousands of chickens, hogs and other livestock are feared dead in floodwaters that washed over factory farms and towns in eastern North Carolina following Hurricane Matthew.” The story also noted that NC’s Gov. Pat McCrory (R) said “officials would work to quickly dispose of decaying animal carcasses that could contaminate waters and pose a potential public health threat. The state wants to avoid a repeat of the problems that followed Hurricane Floyd in 1999, when hundreds of bloated hog and chicken carcasses floated for days in floodwaters.”
Another issue that could affect water conditions is the potential for overflow of manure from lagoons near large hog farm operations. ThinkProgress describes the environmental consequences of such leaks here.
