The rain finally stopped, after falling unceasingly since Hurricane Florence hit the shore on Friday, and Logan Sosebee took out his kayak to take food across the flooded river.
"We still do not have water and electricity, so I'm happy to help," he told AFP. "But there is a lot of current, the water has risen 3 or 4 meters and that should continue for a few days," he explained.
Although accustomed to hurricanes, he said he was worried about his house: "We were never flooded like this except for Floyd in 1999."
In the cities hit by the storm, several looting cases were reported and police in Wilmington, North Carolina, announced that they had arrested five people who attacked a supermarket.
The storm caused "significant damage" in the eastern part of the state, said Governor Cooper. "There are many farms flooded in the southeast of the state, and I'm worried about the consequences for the plantations," he said after flying over the area.
The agricultural industry, the state's largest economic sector, was "hard hit" by Florence, agreed North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis.
"In terms of the economic impact on reconstruction, we are talking about billions of dollars," he said on Fox News.
