Title: Oral History Interview with Mattie Bell and Earl Cavenaugh, December 7, 1999. Interview K-0282.
Identifier: K-0282
Interviewer: Thompson, Charles
Interviewee: Cavenaugh, Mattie Bell
Subjects: Duplin County (N.C.)    Hurricane Floyd, 1999    Floods--North Carolina    Disaster relief--North Carolina    United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency    
Extent: 00:00:01
Abstract:  In this interview, Earl and Mattie Bell Cavenaugh, who are joined by family and friends, remember their experiences with Hurricane Floyd. Multiple interviewees may have detracted from this interview's value, as their responses to Thompson's questions are sometimes disjointed and unspecific. But they do offer an on-the-ground perspective on the flood and its aftermath. Like many affected North Carolinians, they are frustrated with inadequate compensation and are facing the prospect of trying to rebuild without help from insurance or the government, a prospect which seems difficult for a pair of octogenarians. Earl also offers some thoughts on the general erosion of moral values, prompted by the ban on school prayer, sex education, and social security among other factors.