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What Happens When A Hurricane Raises The Dead

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At Elmwood Cemetery in Goldsboro, the remains of 36 people buried just under the surface of the ground were disinterred by Hurricane Matthew.
Courtesy of Martha Quillin

When Hurricane Matthew flooded low-lying areas across Eastern North Carolina in October 2016, thousands of people were displaced. As Martha Quillin writes in the News & Observer, it wasn’t just the living who moved.

At Elmwood Cemetery in Goldsboro, the remains of 36 people buried just under the surface of the ground were disinterred by the storm’s floodwaters. While some were easily reburied, other remains will require DNA samples to be correctly identified before they are put in a more final resting place.

Guest host Anita Rao talks with News & Observer staff writer Martha Quillin about Goldsboro’s efforts to do right by the deceased. If you are a relative of someone buried in the cemetery, or know the name or location of a relative, please contact cemetery superintendent Tim Irving at 919-735-1065.

 

Jennifer Brookland is the American Homefront Project Veterans Reporting Fellow. She covers stories about the military and veterans as well as issues affecting the people and places of North Carolina.
Anita Rao is an award-winning journalist, host, creator, and executive editor of "Embodied," a weekly radio show and podcast about sex, relationships & health.