"Flood of the Century"

Fifth-graders write about their Hurricane Floyd experiences. Their manuscripts are now part of the Joyner Library at East Carolina University. Mary Boccaccio is the special collection's interim department head. Sarah Mitchelson is the students' teacher.

Robin F. - Hurricane Floyd was a terrible disaster! It destroyed many towns. On Thursday, my Mom went to work in Tarboro. She was supposed to come back on Friday. My mother got stuck for four days. It was bad because I missed my mom's cooking. That Friday, trees started falling like BOOM! I got scared right at that moment. But still my aunt and dad tried to get (my mom). Days and days went by and Mom didn't come home. That Saturday night, my dad went out to get her from Tarboro, but the water started to rise. When he came back that night without mommy we all started to cry. My mom came home on Sunday. Everybody was so happy. It was a dream come true.

Princeville, NC - A Search and Rescue Team brings in dozens of stranded dogs from flooded Princeville, North Carolina. Rescuing stranded pets has become a priority, as many towns along the Tar River remain under water. Photo by Dave Saville/FEMA News Photo.

Tobia S. - Friday when we got out of school, I thought the Hurricane Floyd was not going to be that bad, but it was. So that day, we did not go home. We stayed at my great grandma's house because of the wind and rain. We prayed for our trailer that it would be OK. We slept through the wind and rain, but the wind was loud and the lights cut off. The next morning when we woke up, it was flooded in our yard. I hope we do not have another flood or hurricane like this again.

Amber - Wednesday, when I got home from school, my family and I started packing to go to my grandma's house because she lives alone. My mom and dad slept on the two couches downstairs in the family room with my brother on a mat on the floor and my grandma and I slept on my grandma's waterbed. AT 3:30 a.m. my mom hear water gurgling and bubbling through the door downstairs and the TV was sitting in half an inch of water. She got everybody up except me and they started to get everything out of the downstairs room. When I woke up, I was very scared. My mom opened the front door and we stepped onto the porch. All you could see were the tops of houses, cars and trees. You couldn't see the ground or road. It was just water everywhere!

Iyeshia - The storm came on a Thursday. It was a weird day. It was raining hard for a long time. Trees were moving, leaves and twigs were falling. When it was almost over, it happened. Boom! Our biggest tree fell the other way from our house. At the shelters, they had food and water. I was sad for the people that lost their homes. I was surprised no one got hurt. Now I know if we have another storm, I will be praying for the people that have no home to stay in.

Greene County, NC, Emergency crews race through flooded roads to assist stranded residents of eastern North Carolina. Thousands of people were evacuated by boat and helicopter throughout the week following the passage of Hurricane Floyd. Photo by Dave Saville. FEMA News Photo.

Katie - During the hurricane Lance took me and my mom to the church. When we got out to walk into the church, the wind was blowing very bad. We got into the church and my other friends were there. They stayed the night at the church. We all had someone to play with. Now the wind was getting worse. The grown-ups told us to sing songs. We all did. It was fun. They told us to stay away from the windows so if anything flew through the windows we wouldn't get hit. We started playing games. The church gave us a snack and some drink. Then it was over. A woman from the church found a bird that had hit the side of the church. The bird was fine and we got to pet him. Then we went back home.

Kameelah W. - My house did get flooded, but not that bad, only to the first step. My sister's house got flooded real bad. She lost almost everything. At least she got some of her stuff out, like her computer, enough clothes for a month and baby supplies. Her two cars got flooded, too. My family and I had to go to an hotel for a couple of days. The hotel was more fun than I thought, but at night I missed my warm, comfortable little bed. I didn't like those other beds much.

Qunisha - I lost my house which was in a hurricane called Floyd. Floyd came with lots of winds and water. When I woke up there was water everywhere. There was water in cars and almost everything. Then water to third, then second, then first step on the top. Then about eight or ten men came and helped us out. We were so happy. And now here I am today without any animals. But we're going to get some more when we get a new house. And when I get my new house and room, I will be so happy and that's my Christmas present.

Princeville, NC - Coast Guard Chief Scott Pettis comforts this puppy, which was found floating on a debris pile in Princeville, North Carolina. The dog was tired, hungry and very happy to see help arrive. Photo by Dave Saville/FEMA News Photo.

Shakara S. - During the flood I went to Bethel and ended up staying for a couple of months. When we finally got to see how my house was like inside, it was extremely stinking and everything was messed up all over the place. My bunk bed was crashed down on the side and my mom's room had a ceiling that fell down. The living room was the messiest. The TV had fallen down and the only thing that stayed up was my aunt's wedding picture.

Justin - When we were in the eye of the storm, I decided to go outside and play. Bad idea! When the storm started moving again, I was still in it. Suddenly a gust of wind came and blew me into the mud. It didn't feel very pleasant. After a while, the storm was gone and the water dried up. Now the hurricane is over and I'm going back to school once again and I'm so glad.

Laura - Ricky is my uncle. During the hurricane, his pet dog, Patches, got loose. When Ricky and his family were in the shelter at Bethel Elementary School, they asked what did he need help with. He told them (about Patches). They handed him the book with pictures of the dogs that'd rescued. When they found his pictures, they were happy. Ricky's family went to the house of the people who had adopted Patches. When Ricky got there, he ran straight to his dog. He was glad to have his dog back.