How much could it cost a home owner in eastern North Carolina to clean up the mess left behind by Hurricane Matthew?.
Hurricane Matthew impaired or destroyed more than 1 million structures, forced businesses from Florida to North Carolina to close and put thousands of people temporarily out of work.
Goldman Sachs estimates the storm likely caused $10 billion in damage overall, but figures suggest Matthew’s effect on the broader national economy will be minimal.
Though damage estimates are usually revised higher after more comprehensive assessments, the current figures would still make Matthew the 22nd-worst storm since World War II.
Meanwhile, the storm’s after-effects have continued to linger in parts of eastern North Carolina. Residents in Greenville were keeping a nervous watch Wednesday morning on the river that flows along downtown. The Tar River was expected to crest later in the day, prompting authorities to order evacuations for about one-tenth of Greenville’s 90,000 people.
The death toll associated with Matthew has so far risen to 19 as of Wednesday afternoon. North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory said at a Wednesday press briefing that the latest deaths involved two people drowning in Robeson County, and additional drownings in Columbus and Wayne counties. Each was attributed to cars either being submerged or swept away in flood waters. The majority of hurricane-related deaths — 14 out of 19 total — were vehicle-related.
The governor reiterated that residents should heed the advice of government leaders who are telling them not to try to drive through flood waters. He also told people not to drive around barricades and to obey instructions from all authorities.
