Hurricane Florence was a category 4 reduced to a category 1 before it hit the coast of North Carolina, however the effects, especially flooding were still devastating as the death toll reached 48.

“If there was a hurricane I would grab my dogs first, because I love them and they are fluffy,” sophomore Dominik Fritts said.

Hurricane categories are determined by the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale used by the National Hurricane Center for decades, However with Hurricane Florence there was a major flaw discovered, it only measures wind, but not rainfall, or the size of the hurricane.

“If the hurricane is category 5 then I’d leave, but it depends”, sophomore Dominik Fritts said.

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale does not account for the destructive power of hurricanes.One example is Hurricane Sandy, Which barley had hurricane force winds when it struck in October 2012, and it still cause 285 deaths, and $65 billion of damage.

“The United States should send supplies like food, water and blankets to help the victims,” sophomore Brenden Price said.

After the hurricane, another effect in North Carolina is swarming with mosquitoes 20 times the size of normal ones. The species, Gallinippers, have a sting that is painful enough to have the equivalent stabbed, according to LiveScience.com. USA Today called it an “outbreak” and described them as “blood-thirsty,” “aggressive” and “monstrous pests.”

“While most mosquitoes that emerge after flooding do not transmit human disease, they still pose a public health problem by discouraging people from going outside and hindering recovery efforts,” said a North Carolina press release.

The after effects of the hurricane were devastating, the flooding seemed to go on forever, and about 21 lagoons of pig manure overtopped and filled the streets with urine and manure. The spill will be treated with waste eating bacteria that gives the poop a pink color for people to look out for.

More than 400 animal lives were saved as well as thousands of human lives during this time of crisis.