September 19, 2018 at 2:27 pm









The number of factory-farmed animals drowned in Hurricane Florence is already double the number in Hurricane Matthew and expected to go up. 13 manure lagoons are overflowing, with 55 more about to overflow into local rivers and groundwater.









So far Hurricane Florence has drowned 3.4 million chickens and turkeys and 5,500 pigs trapped in factory farms, according to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.

The numbers are expected to mount this week as farmers return to their properties and are better able to assess their losses.

Thirteen pig manure lagoons are overflowing so far, and 55 more are at the brim and will overflow in the next 24 hours or so if water levels continue rising, according to the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. The walls of four manure lagoons have suffered structural damage, allowing waste to flow out of the sides of the pits.

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The agency has not inspected any of the state’s 3,300 waste lagoons itself, and is relying on self-reporting by farmers.