Relief Efforts Continue In North Carolina After Hurricane Matthew

NPR

Published October 11, 2016 at 12:06 PM EDT

Hurricane Matthew has passed, but the aftermath continues to produce major flooding along parts of the east coast.

One of the hardest hit areas is Lumberton, North Carolina, where hundreds of residents were trapped in their homes and rescue operations via boat and helicopter are underway.

Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Linda Oxendine, director of public services in Lumberton, North Carolina, about how the storm has impacted the city.

“We’ve had direct contact with our governor here in North Carolina, he’s been very active in the process,” Oxendine said. “In fact, he just visited on, yesterday, a neighboring town. We’re getting food transported in. We’re getting blankets for our folks at the shelters.”

Oxendine, who is originally from Lumberton, said the town’s resilience and the support it has received have been inspiring.

“It’s my home,” she said. “I’m a 30-year veteran with the City of Lumberton, and they can’t run me away because, again, I love my city. We are truly an all-American city, and I think we’re showing that right now …”

Here are more photos of flooding and relief efforts in Lumberton after Hurricane Matthew:

Guest

Linda Oxendine, director of public services in Lumberton, North Carolina.

A swift water rescue team member guides a boat through floodwaters caused by rain from Hurricane Matthew in Lumberton, N.C., Monday, Oct. 10, 2016. (Mike Spencer/AP)

People displaced by the floodwaters caused by rain from Hurricane Matthew wait in line to look through donated clothes at the Bill Sapp Recreation Center in Lumberton, N.C., Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016. (Mike Spencer/AP)

A man moves his belongings from his home that is surrounded by floodwaters caused by rain from Hurricane Matthew in Lumberton, N.C., Monday, Oct. 10, 2016. (Mike Spencer/AP)