East Coast slowly rebuilds after Hurricane Floyd

At least 34 people were confirmed dead in North Carolina, with the number expected to climb.

"As the waters go down, we certainly do expect there will be more individuals found," said John Butts, North Carolina state medical examiner.

And still more rain lay ahead. With about 6,500 people already in shelters and 1,500 others believed stranded, forecasters said 1 to 2 inches of rain from Tropical Storm Harvey could fall beginning last night, enough to cause new flooding and keep t

AP PHOTO Workers from the Department of Transportation pile 10,000 sandbags in Conway, S.C. to protect a sewage pumping station yesterday.

he rivers high.

Floodwaters have virtually shut down the eastern third of North Carolina, an area of 18,000 square miles and 2.1 million people. State officials said 30,000 homes were flooded and 1,600 damaged beyond repair. The damage may exceed the $6 billion total for Hurricane Fran in 1996, North Carolina's costliest natural disaster.

President Clinton toured Tarboro, one of the hardest-hit towns in an area drenched by 28 inches of rain from two hurricanes in two weeks.

"I urge you to keep your spirits up and know we're going to be with you every step of the way," Clinton told 500 people in this historic town of 11,000, flanked by tobacco and cotton fields. He also announced loans to help farmers rebuild and replace lost livestock.

"When things like this happen to some of us, we know they could happen to all of us," Clinton said. "We know we have a responsibility as members of the American family to help you get back on your feet again.

Thomas Andrews, 76, of Tarboro, said: "If they can do all this, it will be well worth it. I've never seen this much devastation in Tarboro and Edgecombe County in all my life."

Health officials worked to stave off disease, which became a growing threat because of hundreds of thousands of dead hogs, chickens and turkeys, drinking water tainted by overflow from sewage plants and animal waste lagoons, and floodwaters fouled by fuel, farm chemicals and manure.

"There are a large number of different risks out there right now," said Johanna Reese of the state Division of Environmental Health. "The most immediate one we have is lack of safe drinking water."

Contaminated water could cause a host of gastrointestinal illnesses, and dehydration from severe vomiting or diarrhea could be fatal in children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, Reese said.

"A lot of these people are down already. They're already weak, so they're at a greater risk," she said.

National Guard helicopters and trucks delivered clean drinking water to several counties.

Crews in Jones County brought in two industrial-size incinerators so workers today could begin burning the hog carcasses whose stench has filled the air. Some of the animals had been dead five days and could become a breeding ground for disease.

Ronnie Jordan, a contractor hired to destroy carcasses in Jones County, said he was told there were 100,000 dead hogs and a half-million dead chickens that needed to incinerated.

State health officials also recommended that residents get tetanus shots to protect them from infection from the filthy floodwater and wash up with hot, soapy water if they come in contact with it.

Health officials also warned that mosquitoes will be out in force because of all the standing water and could spread deadly encephalitis.

State officials began hauling 98 large campers into a Tarboro park to temporarily house the homeless and planned to supply them with water, sewer and electricity.

"The state of North Carolina will probably be the biggest landlord in Edgecombe County within the next few days," said Richard Moore, state public safety director. He said more than 1,000 campers and mobile homes may be needed.

Gov. Jim Hunt appealed for donations. "I'm asking that everyone in America help eastern North Carolina," he said. "We have been hit by a terrible blow."

Sales of flue-cured tobacco have been suspended to give farmers time to recover. Most of the region's tobacco processing facilities are in the eastern third of North Carolina most severely affected by flooding.

Interstate 95 reopened in North Carolina for the first time since Thursday, but about 300 other roads remained closed, either because they still were under water or were washed out.

In some cases, relief workers sent to help the flood victims found themselves fleeing the floodwaters. A Salvation Army supply truck was stranded Sunday night in Goldsboro after waters swamped a highway.

Along the still-rising Neuse River, a Kinston hotel was evacuated yesterday because of the floodwaters, and Red Cross workers staying at the hotel were among those forced out.

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