*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).

Share:
More In Culture
Frankie Grande on Nickelodeon Crossover 'When Worlds Collide,' VR Engagement
Frankie Grande of Nickelodeon’s "Danger Force" is taking his villain act to another show on the network, "Side Hustle," for a crossover event dubbed "When Worlds Collide." The actor, dancer, singer, producer, television host, and YouTube personality joined Cheddar News to talk about putting the project together. “What I will tell you is these unbelievable actors from very, very young ages were so inspirational to work with," he said of his castmates. "They showed up, they knew their lines, they hit their marks." Grande also went into detail about his very nerdy engagement with Hale Leon in virtual reality.
Survey Finds Inflation Driving a Return to the Gig Economy
Inflation is driving a return to the gig economy, according to a new survey from Branch & Marqeta that found 85 percent of workers have increased or planned to increase their amount of gig work in the past six months, with 58 percent citing inflation as the reason behind this change. Arun Sundararajan, professor at NYU Stern School of Business, breaks down this dynamic and how it's impacting the broader economy. "Inflation is rampant and people need more money. Salaried wages haven't kept up. Plus the labor market is tight. People can't find full time employees, employers can't find full time employees, and so some people are being opportunistic," he said. "And I also think there's a COVID effect because people have gotten used to more flexibility and time and space because people have gotten used to more flexibility and time and space, through the months of the lockdown."
Why Cultivated Meat is Critical to the Future of Space Travel
Dr. Neta Lavon, CTO and VP of R&D at Aleph Farms, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how the team sent cow cells to space to further research the production of meat in space, and why developing cultivated meat is so critical to the future of space travel.
Load More