"New research shows how hurricanes can wash sewage, industrial chemicals and “everything in people’s garages” into North Carolina waterways, and how to prevent that in future storms."
"Fifteen days after Tropical Storm Helene sent debris, runoff and a cocktail of toxins — including raw sewage and pharmaceuticals — pouring into the French Broad River in the fall of 2024, Shea Tuberty set out to investigate the damage.
The storm had carved an improbable path from the Florida Gulf Coast into the North Carolina mountains, taking lives and tearing apart communities. Days after it passed, Tuberty — a professor in Appalachian State University’s Department of Biology who’s known by friends as “the water guy”— said he was contacted by friends downstream in Tennessee who asked him to collect water samples to test for contaminants.
The disaster stirred painful memories for Tuberty,
“I’ve got PTSD from back in my 20s, when I lost my sister to a Middle Tennessee flood on Christmas Eve,” he said. “So this all had a personal, horrifying impact on me.”
Tuberty said his friends who live near the North Carolina border in the Cherokee National Forest didn’t trust what they were hearing from local or federal authorities as they were working to clean up Hot Springs, N.C., the closest community to their home. They peppered him with questions about the river."
Will Atwater reports for North Carolina Health News November 24, 2025.
SEE ALSO:
"Thousands Of Toxic Sites Across US Face Risk Of Coastal Flooding" (Guardian)
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