248 pp., 52 b&w photos, 3 tables, 4 maps, index
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Dr. Cynthia Burnett and her husband, Buster Leverette, operate Burnett Veterinary Hospital in Burgaw. In the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd, they worked around the clock, often risking their own lives to rescue hundreds of dogs, cats, horses, cows, and other animals from flooded homes in the Pender County area. Their veterinary hospital later became a hub for animal rescue operations. They were interviewed together in their Burgaw offices in June 2002.

"Cynthia: I think I experienced every emotion that I could ever experience, and I'm not usually an emotional person. Fear—because my husband was going out on water every day that the National Guard was telling everybody they couldn't go on. Joy—seeing the pets and the animals that he was saving. Sadness—knowing about the ones that he didn't. Anger—frustration with people who were coming and trying to get food and stuff that weren't even in the flooded areas. Exhaustion—total exhaustion. Getting so little sleep from trying to do everything that you possibly can. I can't think of an emotion that I didn't experience. It was doing something not because you had to, but because you knew you wanted to, and you knew it was the right thing to do."