Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina on Sept. 14, 2018. Two years later, homes and livelihoods are still on the mend. In Craven County, where the city of New Bern was devastated by flooding from the hurricane, disaster recovery groups are still trying to get assistance to nearly 1,400 households affected by the storm. A podcast series called “Storm Stories” focuses on the people and places who may never be the same after the hurricane.
In 14 episodes, “Storm Stories” explores individual stories of recovery and difficult decision-making, as well as broader topics like housing and the pandemic’s effect on rebuilding. The series is produced and hosted by Laura Bratton, the co-director of Shoresides, a journalism project focused on reporting in rural coastal North Carolina, and a contributor to WNYC and YR Media's 18-29 Now project. Host Frank Stasio talks with Bratton about the series and her work with communities still in recovery from Florence.
