248 pp., 52 b&w photos, 3 tables, 4 maps, index
    $22.95 paperback, $39.95 hardcover
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Kurt Barnes has worked in water maintenance for the City of Rocky Mount for almost thirty years. But during that city's devastating flood, he was a true hero, swimming through strong currents near his home to ultimately save the lives of eighteen neighbors. He was later recognized with the 2000 Governor's Award for Heroism. He was interviewed in his Rocky Mount office in June 2002.

"The water was coming down those streets unrestricted, and I mean it was terrible. The fastest stuff you've ever seen in your life. When I got back down on the side of the house again, I was hanging on to some telephone wires. I looked at that wire, and I saw that it went right on over to a telephone pole across that street. If I could pull this wire off this house right here, I could follow it across that street. I put my foot on the side of the house, and when I jerked that wire, next thing I know I'm on the other side of that street. Just like somebody on skis, it pulled me right around."