During hurricane florence, about 8 trillion gallons of rain flaw according to National Weather Service in Raleigh.Debris including leaves, mud, chemicals, pig waste were flown by the floodwater and now heading towards the ocean. This has led to a higher concentration of the pollutant in river water, that it is noticeable in satellite images.
Snapped on Sept. 19 by NASA's Operational Land Imager on the Landsat 8 satellite, this image shows how Hurricane Florence affected water quality: the White Oak River, New River, and Adams Creek spew darkened water into an equally discolored the Atlantic Ocean.
In this image, the darker brown colors represent higher concentrations of contaminants, while the blues and greens have lower concentrations of contaminants. The pollutant can be seen carried to even farther places by the ocean current. In the ocean, pig waste will lead to massive fish die-off and algae bloom.
Floodwater level has started decreasing according to NASA. While some are still rising, and many homes, buildings and roads are still submerged in standing water.