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HURRICANE AFTERMATH | Florence

'Sea-WEED?!' Unusual outcomes of Florence no one saw coming


Cheryl Santa Maria
Digital Reporter

Wednesday, September 19, 2018, 5:51 PM - Clean-up efforts are underway after Hurricane Florence dumped upwards of 900 mm of rain in parts of the U.S. last week.

The slow-moving storm formed August 31, reaching Category 4 status before hitting land.

By the time it reached the shore it had been downgraded to a Category 1 storm but still posed a massive threat, with wind gusts up to 145 km/h.

RELATED: Hurricane Florence updates HERE

In addition to the countless washed-out roads and buildings, common casualties of a storm the size of Florence, the hurricane created unusual circumstances as well.

Here are five of them.

5. FIRE ANT ISLAND



Fire ants are an invasive species in the Carolinas, and the venomous creatures have been banding together to form 'rafts' so they can float on the floodwaters caused by Florence.

It's the same thing that happened last year during Hurricane Harvey.

The fire ant rafts carry an entire colony, including eggs, larvae, queens, winged ants and workers.

(PHOTOS: See the destruction Florence left behind)

They're posing a threat to rescue workers, because if they come into contact with boats or people they will disband and attack.

"If they ants manage to touch your skin, they'll immediately start biting and stinging, as they are usually wont to do," reads a statement from Texas A&M University.

"It's important to rub them off immediately — submerging them won't work, as they'll just cling to the skin."

4. VENOMOUS SNAKES



North Carolina firefighter Bradley Thomas Dixon thought he saw an alligator floodwaters last week -- but on closer inspection, they turned out to be a pair of venomous snakes.

Dixon uploaded a video of the cottonmouth snakes relaxing by the water.

(Visit our Complete Guide to Fall 2018 for an in depth look at the Fall Forecast, tips to plan for it and a sneak peek at winter)

He told the Charlotte Observer he just happened upon them.

“When I jumped down from a fallen tree on a remote part of the disc golf course, I instantly saw them and thought it was a gator,” Dixon said. “Startled, I jumped back on the log. The snakes did not move, so I videoed them because it was one of the most intense moments I have experienced in a while.”

3. HUGE BRICKS OF MARIJUANA WASH ASHORE



Giant bundles of marijuana apparently containing individually-wrapped five-kilo bricks have been washing ashore since Florence started swirling last week.

It's believed the drugs fell off of a boat or are the result of a failed air drop.

Some Florida beach goers have attempted to make off with some of the "sea weed", despite warnings from authorities to leave it alone.

In a 911 call to the Volusia County sheriff last Thursday morning, a woman is quoted as saying, "We're at Jungle Hut (Park) and a huge bundle of drugs or something just washed up on the beach and there are people like fighting over it." 

She said there was "seven or eight people,"  and they were "all like huddling up against it, and my dad's trying to take it so that you guys can have it all."

When officers arrived, the caller said one man had managed to take a brick from the bundle.

When asked about it by the police, the report says he "pointed at his vehicle and stated that he was holding it for law enforcement's arrival."

2. MILLIONS OF CHICKENS DROWN



At least two million chickens are dead after rising floodwaters made it unsafe for feed trucks to retrieve them. Food company officials are worried the death toll could rise, with rivers continuing to rise in the area.

"Losses of live inventory could escalate if the company does not regain access to those farms," Sanderson Farms said in a statement via Reuters.

1. 'POOP LAGOONS' BREACHED

Several lagoons of pig manure have been breached by floodwaters, creating a potential health hazard for humans and animals.

North Carolina is home to more than 9 million pigs. Their manure is stored in thousands of lagoons across the state, where it sits until it is used for fertilizer.

Officials are worried that water contaminated with pig manure could come into contact with water used for human consumption.

“While there are more than 3,000 active lagoons in the state that have been unaffected by the storm, we remain concerned about the potential impact of these record-shattering floods,” the North Carolina Pork Council said in a statement.



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