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Natural Resources

When the Mill Closed and the Waters Rose: Interlocking Disasters in Southern Appalachia Megan Hall*, Megan Hall,

Since 2004, the town of Canton, North Carolina, has faced four instances of devastating flooding (Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Ivan, 2004; Tropical Storm Fred, 2021; Hurricane Helene, 2024) that has wrought havoc on the homes, businesses, and lives of its residents. Additionally, 2023 saw the closure of the town’s primary economic driver when its papermill, owned by Pactiv Evergreen, shuttered its doors after over 100 years of operation. This closure eliminated nearly 1,000 jobs in a town whose population is approximately 4,100. In addition to these disasters, other crises have befallen this community over the past several decades, such as dioxin pollution, the threat of nuclear waste dump siting, forest fires, the COVID-19 pandemic, and others. Based on qualitative work I have conducted in this community since 2021, in this paper I provide key findings from my research and provide insights on my development of a theory of interlocking disasters. To accomplish this, I will discuss novel interview data collected in Summer 2025 with residents I first spoke to in 2023. These interviews focus on the long-term effects of Fred, the mill closure, and Helene. I will also offer preliminary insights on my Summer 2026 fieldwork. This project is particularly important considering that most news coverage of Helene focused on its effects on the nearby city of Asheville, obscuring the challenges and resourcefulness of more rural communities like Canton.