Hurricane Fred came through Asheville, NC in August 2021. Two major rivers run through Asheville - the French Broad River and the Swannanoa. These rivers are home to a vast variety of wildlife and plants, fertile soil, and intact agricultural communities. When Hurricane Fred came through Asheville, I hopped in my car and drove to the French Broad River. What I saw was heartbreaking. The flooding from Hurricane Fred had caused massive amounts of trash to be dumped into the river and quickly flow downstream. Debris from fallen trees had taken over the sidewalks and flooding from the road was rushing into the river, causing the river to rise even more. 

     Large quantities of water can negatively impact wildlife, riverbank erosion, sedimentation, ground water, local landscape and habitats. Flooding can cause sedimentation to block riverbeds and streams, which results in a reduction of storage space for wetlands and reservoirs. This can possibly effect the water supply and hurt local habitats. Pollutants in flood water, such as pesticides and bacteria, are carried long distances, which again negatively effects the quality of the water.

     Along with the devastating ecological impacts caused by floods, it broke my heart to see so much waste flowing down the river. The French Broad River turns into the Tennessee River, which then becomes the Ohio River and eventually, the Mississippi River, which flows into the ocean. Meaning, all of the trash I saw flowing down the French Broad River will join all of the other rivers and possibly end up in the ocean. I took these pictures to create awareness, to allow people to see first hand, why flooding is ecologically devastating. I hope you can learn something from these words and these images. Remember, if you see something - Say something!