It seemed like Lumbee and other tribal communities in eastern North Carolina had barely recovered from Hurricane Matthew (October 2016) when Hurricane Florence brought even more rain to the region. Lumbee, Coharie, and Waccamaw Siouan people were all impacted seriously by flooding in the wake of Hurricane Florence, which brought more than 30 inches of rain to some parts of eastern North Carolina. Rainfall totals near tribal population centers were closer to 20 inches, which was still enough to cause tremendous flooding
Ryan spoke to a Washington Post reporter who was embedded in Lumberton during the worst of the flooding. You can read her full piece here, which touches on aspects of flooding, wetlands, infrastructure, sustainable development, and more.
Ryan also teamed up with Global WaSH engineers and scientists at NC State and UNC to conduct a water quality sampling campaign during and immediately after the floods. The attached photo shows NC State graduate student, Jocelyn Painter collecting samples from the Great Coharie River with Ryan and Mr. Greg Jacobs, administrator of the Coharie Tribe. The photo is linked to a Twitter discussion about this excursion.
Ryan also teamed up with Global WaSH engineers and scientists at NC State and UNC to conduct a water quality sampling campaign during and immediately after the floods. The attached photo shows NC State graduate student, Jocelyn Painter collecting samples from the Great Coharie River with Ryan and Mr. Greg Jacobs, administrator of the Coharie Tribe. The photo is linked to a Twitter discussion about this excursion.