In 1996, the eastern part of North Carolina was devastated by not one, but two major hurricanes. Bertha packed a wollop first at the coast, then shortly thereafter Fran roared inland and wreaked havoc in many counties including Wake. Many of us spent a long night at the fire station, and we answered emergency calls late into the night until the chief determined that it was too dangerous for us to be out and about. We rode into the torrential downpour and howling winds to clear roadways, douse transformer fires, investigate downed power lines, assist stranded motorists, spread plastic over gaping holes in roofs, and much more.

We emerged from the fire station the next morning to an incredible sight. There were few roads, if any, that weren't blocked by fallen debris. Power and phone lines hung down to the ground everywhere, homes were crushed under humongous trees. Only those fortunate enough to have generators had any power. Emergency services personnel and citizens alike worked feverishly through the next several days with chainsaws and bulldozers. None of our firefighters could drive home for quite some time even if they had wanted to because of the road conditions. Many of us worked continuously without sleep for 48 or more consecutive hours.

The following pictures were taken more than a week after the storm. Even so, there is still much devastation apparent. It took close to a year for evidence of this monstrous storm to begin fading away.

Downed power and phone lines posed a hazard to the general public and emergency service workers alike.	These folks, like many others, were rudely awakened during the night by a tremendous crash.
It took a lot of time and energy to clear the roads. Our brush trucks got a good work-out as they were the only means to drag these heavy trunks aside!	Power companies had hundreds of crews and trucks that they imported from areas that were not hit nearly as hard by Fran. Still, it took weeks for power to be restored to every customer.
Most homeowners were faced with a daunting cleanup task. There was not a single chainsaw or generator to be found in any store within miles of Wake County the day after the storm. But neighbors and strangers alike pulled together during these difficult weeks to help each other out.