For many towns in the eastern part of the state, Hurricane Matthew’s wrath has left a path of destruction and chaos.
Cars were swallowed by the angry rush of water and houses swamped, only the roofs visible.
Swarms of animals paddled around, clambering onto anything that could serve as a life raft.
From a rural home that sat mostly underwater, a sick, elderly man beckoned for help, propped up by his two dogs as he awaited rescue. He would become one of 49 rescues by a Winston-Salem Fire Department water rescue team in eastern North Carolina in the storm aftermath.
“In the rural areas, there were hogs, cattle and poultry everywhere. Some were alive, up at the highest point above the water.