Four years later, lessons from Florence. Plus, could the NHRMC nursing crisis have been avoided?

By Benjamin Schachtman,

Published September 15, 2022 at 5:24 PM EDT

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On this episode, we look back at Hurricane Florence, which drowned the Cape Fear region four years ago this week. Plenty went wrong during a punishing week of rain and flooding, but a lot of those missteps and issues have been addressed. We’ll also take a look at last week’s press conference, held by Novant Health to address the question that’s been hanging in the air for months: would the crisis at NHRMC be better if it were still owned by New Hanover County?

Hop in the way-back machine, and check out some of the knock-on crises that followed in the wake of Florence:

An idle FEMA trailer in Pender County reveals confusion, bureaucratic obstacles
NCDOT warns evacuees not to take ‘so-called routes’ back to Wilmington area
Update: CFPUA retracts water shutoff warning after New Hanover County finds fuel source
New Hanover report shows lack of communication, resources, and training during Florence, suggests improvements

Catch up on the latest on Novant and NHRMC:

Novant touts NHRMC sale benefits but admits current situation is 'unsustainable'
Former CEO of NHRMC says hospital would have failed without sale to Novant Health