LUMBERTON, N.C. - It was one of the deadliest storms our state has ever seen.
Meteorologist Lee Ringer takes a look back on one of his most memorable storms and reveals what went through his mind while covering Hurricane Matthew.
Lee went back to some of the hardest hit areas and spoke to a few folks, including Donnie Douglas, the editor of "The Robesonian" newspaper in Lumberton.
Douglas described the devastation his office faced the day of and days after this catastrophic storm.
“Our office was destroyed. It was a bio hazard. There was water that came in, about 18 inches high,” said Douglas. “Basically everything was ripped out. Everything that I owned personally were in boxes and all the computers, everything was destroyed. All the electronics, all the furniture, the walls just everything was destroyed except the press room. The press got spared.
Douglas and his staff were finally able to move back into their office in June; about 8 months after Hurricane Matthew hit our state.
In North Carolina alone, the storm caused more than a billion dollars in damages and 25 people lost their lives.