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<br /> <br /> <br />T he combined effects of Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, and Irene in <br />September and October 1999 resulted in 2 months of flooding <br />throughout most of eastern North Carolina. Hurricane Dennis <br />battered the Outer Banks for almost a week in early September, <br />resulting in severe shoreline erosion in some locations near Buxton <br />and Rodanthe. Upon making landfall less than 2 weeks before <br />Hurricane Floyd, Hurricane Dennis delivered 4 to 8 inches of rain to <br />much of the Tar and Neuse River Basins, breaking a drought and <br />saturating soils. Hurricane Floyd will likely be the second or third <br />most costly hurricane to strike the United States in the 20th century, <br />resulting in more fatalities than any hurricane to strike the United <br />States since 1972. Rainfall amounts recorded during Hurricane <br />Floyd (September 14-17, 1999) and accumulated during the months <br />of September and October were unprecedented for many parts of <br />eastern North Carolina during more than 80 years of precipitation <br />records. Most recording stations in eastern North Carolina received <br />at least half the average annual rainfall during the 2 months. <br />Flooding was at record levels, and SOD-year or greater floods <br />occurred in all of the State's river basins east of Raleigh. More than <br />half of the average annual nitrogen and phosphorus loads were <br />transported in the Neuse and Tar Rivers by floodwaters during the <br />I-month period between mid-September and mid-October. <br />Shoreline erosion from the passage of Hurricane Floyd was <br />particularly severe along Oak and Topsail Islands; the effects of <br />Hurricane Floyd on shoreline erosion and dune retreat were greater <br />than the effects of Hurricane Bonnie in 1998. Fortunately, Hurricane <br />Irene in mid-October did not make landfall in North Carolina, but <br />rainfall from the stonn did help ensure that several rivers in eastern <br />North Carolina remained above flood stage for almost 2 months. <br /> <br /> <br />en <br />" <br />en <br />=> <br /> <br />Houses near surf in Rodanthe, N.C. <br /> <br /> <br />Two Months of Flooding in Eastern North Carolina. Scptcmber-Octobcr 1999 <br />