Hurricane Irene's flood waters caused some waste water treatment plants to overflow in the eastern part of the state while cutting off power to others. State officials are warning people in flooded areas to avoid contact with contaminated water as they begin the arduous task of clean up. Susan Massengale works for the North Carolina Division of Water Quality.
Susan Massengale: "In some cases they've been able to get generators to get the waste water treatment back up and flowing again. In other cases they're having a hard time even getting to the plant because of the downed trees and flooding and other issues."
Massengale says in addition to sewage, the flood waters are collecting chemicals like insecticides and pesticides.