After Florence, Farm Animal Death Toll Could Be in Millions
*By Max Godnick*
Florence may be over, but floodwaters from the hurricane are still wreaking havoc in North Carolina ー and not in just the usual ways.
The state's hog-waste lagoons, some of which are larger than Olympic swimming pools, are now either overflowing or in real danger of being breached. That poses an immediate danger to the surrounding communities ー and the planet as a whole.
"The potential for groundwater contamination is massive," said Zoë Schlanger, an environmental reporter at Quartz.
The storm, which was eventually downgraded to a tropical depression, caused [at least 110](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/climate/florence-hog-farms.html) "reservoirs" to release their contents into the environment.
North Carolina is the second-largest hog-farming state in the country, with close to 10 million pigs producing about 10 billion gallons of manure each year. In the counties where most of the state's pork production takes place, hogs outnumber humans, each one producing two to five times more waste than people do each day.
Rain and floodwaters have rendered many of the affected facilities unreachable for the farmers eager to check on their livestock and assess the damage.
Schlanger said some areas still expect more flooding, which could worsen the already-rampant contamination.
"In certain places, it's going to get better. In certain places it's going to get worse," she said.
While there's nothing that can be done to contain the waste that's already been released, Schlanger said officials can prepare for the future by rethinking the industry's infrastructure.
After all, Schlanger said hog-waste has been a "daily health issue" for people in the state long before Florence.
One of the most-vulnerable counties is Duplin, where most of the farms in the state are located.
"They say even without the storm, the smell is horrendous," Schlanger said.
It's one of North Carolina's poorest counties and has a predominately black and Latino community, which she said poses a "very specific environmental justice issue."
But the problem isn't just with contamination ー there's also a significant economic impact.
According to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, over 3 million chickens and turkeys and 5,500 hogs drowned during Florenceー a significant loss in inventory for the thousands of farmers who rely on the animals for their livelihoods.
"This will be devastating mostly for the small family farmers who are contracted by much larger companies," Schlanger said. "Those farmers often take on a lot of debt to run these operations."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/pig-manure-lagoons-flood-after-florence).
In recent years, extreme weather events like flooding and wildfires have become more frequent, and more severe - and scientists say global warming is to blame. Climate crises could leave people in need of help, and that's where Global Rescue steps in. The crisis response firm employs former Navy Seals and Army Rangers to rescue travelers from climate-related emergencies. Global Rescue CEO Dan Richards joins Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Cloud-based AI-powered writing assistant Grammarly recently raised $200 million in a funding round that values the company at $13 billion. The funding will be used to help Grammarly achieve its goal of becoming more ubiquitous, as the company says it wants to be the go-to writing assistant for wherever people type. Grammarly also says it aims to solve what it calls one of the most critical problems facing people and businesses today -- ineffective communication. Grammarly global head of product Rahul Roy-Chowdhury joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Jennifer Lotito, president and COO at the non-profit (RED), joined Cheddar to discuss the CODE (RED) campaign as the organization looks to expand its mission to support both AIDS and COVID-19 relief. She explained that people can get involved in the campaign for Giving Tuesday and ahead of World AIDS Day by shopping (RED) branded products and even using credit card rewards points to add their own support. Lotito also pointed out that COVID-19 has also impacted HIV testing as people avoid clinics out of fear of the other pandemic.
The Movember Foundation is celebrating the end of Movember, the annual fundraising event that involves the growing of moustaches as a way to draw attention to men's health issues, including suicide prevention and prostate cancer. Mark Hedstrom, the U.S. executive director for the Movember Foundation, joined Cheddar to discuss the organization's goals and the fundraising partnerships it's secured. He also talked about normalizing conversations around men's mental health.
On this episode of Cheddar Reveals, Dr. Dorothy Kim, Assistant Professor of Medieval Literature at Brandeis University, discusses the roots that modern-day white supremacy has in Viking history, despite its many factual inaccuracies; Vikings are often misunderstood and while their brutality is what's shown in popular culture, there are many misconceptions about who they really were. Philip Parker, Historian and author of 'The Northmen's Fury', helps break down the true Viking history.; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Viking Women.'
Dr. Dorothy Kim, Assistant Professor of Medieval Literature at Brandeis University, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss the roots that modern-day white supremacy has in Viking history, despite its many factual inaccuracies.
Vikings are often misunderstood and while their brutality is what's shown in popular culture, there are many misconceptions about who they really were. Philip Parker, Historian and author of 'The Northmen's Fury', joins Cheddar Reveals to break down the true Viking history.
