Lumberton Undeterred: A Community Faces A Pandemic While Recovering From Major Hurricanes

South Lumberton resident Debra Holiday and her daughter Billie Thompson reflect on the dramatic changes in their South Lumberton neighborhood following Matthew and Florence.

Over the past four years, the city of Lumberton, NC was inundated by destructive flooding from two major hurricanes. In the community along the Lumber River where over one-third of residents fall below the poverty line, people of color are particularly affected by flood impacts, including damages to homes and evacuations.

As the city prepares for another potential hurricane and continues to rebuild from past disasters, it faces another ongoing threat, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Robeson County, for which Lumberton is the county seat, has seen nearly double the rate of cases and deaths per capita compared with the state average.

#hurricane #Lumberton #NorthCarolina #pandemic #coronavirus

Reporter - Laura Pellicer / WUNC
Videographer - Ben McKeown / WUNC
Video Editor - Natalie Dudas-Thomas

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