md:  Even hog barons in their private enclaves aren't escaping the flooding
and environmental damage in Eastern NC.  A gated community built by Wendell
Murphy of Murphy Family Farms and populated by CAFO bigwigs is flooded and
awash with animal waste and carcasses.

Murphy's top manager Garth Boyd, who lives in the upscale community, has
little to say, but his wife calls the situation "repulsive".

Murphy's top lieutenant, Lois Britt, is true to her company's tradition to
the bitter end, denying that there is any reason to think there is hog
waste in the flood waters of Eastern NC.

-----
Residents of River Landings endure waste and carcasses from nearby
livestock
operations


By MATTHEW TEAGUE, Staff Writer


     WALLACE -- River Landings, a gated community built by hog-farm
tycoon
Wendell Murphy, was flooded last week by water from the Northeast Cape
Fear
River and hog waste from nearby farms, according to residents.
     "It's disgusting," said homeowner Pat Wilson, 67. "Dangerous, too.
We
had to go get tetanus shots and everything."
     She and other residents said that water containing waste and
carcasses
from nearby hog and poultry farms overflowed into their homes Friday as
Floyd's floodwaters rose. Five days later, the muck still hid some
homes'
doors, and a few cars remained submerged.
     Lois Britt, a vice president of Murphy Family Farms, said she
didn't
believe the accounts of animal waste in the water.
     "I don't think that's correct," she said. "We don't know of any
lagoon
breaks."
     The company said, however, that about 10,000 of its hogs were
killed in
the flood.
     State officials said they don't yet know where all the waste is
coming
from; some hog lagoons have leaked, and others have overflowed, but it's

unclear which farms are responsible. In Duplin County, population
44,250,
hogs outnumber people about 33-to-1.
     Residents of River Landings said they didn't need the state or the
hog
industry to tell them what was right under their noses.
     "Repulsive," said Lynette Boyd, 42, wearing high rubber boots to
protect
against disease. "Pigs, turkeys, chickens."
     Lynette's husband, Garth, a supervisor at Murphy Family Farms,
joked to
neighbors, "You guys want some sausage?"
     Patty Hargrove, a nurse at the state Department of Health Services,

advised residents who have had any contact with the water to immediately
get
tetanus shots to avoid the potentially fatal bacterial infection. "Any
sore,
scratch or burn is vulnerable," she said. "Unless these people have had
tetanus shots in the last five years, we're encouraging them to come
in."
     Anyone who suspects he or she may have come in contact with
contaminated
floodwaters may receive shots at Chinquapin Elementary School,
Wallace-Rose
Hill Elementary School or at the Department of Health Services in
Kenansville. Hargrove said contact with the flood of animal waste and
carcasses may also lead to hepatitis A and severe diarrhea.
     Debbie Crane, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and
Human
Services, said her agency and others are working to clean up animal
waste and
educate people about how to avoid it. "The best policy is to stay out of
all
floodwater," she said. "That's how we can prevent any serious
outbreaks."
     River Landings was built by Murphy three years ago and is largely
populated by executives from nearby hog and poultry farms. It sports 27
golf
holes -- about 20 of which were underwater Tuesday -- as well as
Olympic-size
swimming pools, artificial waterfalls and half-million dollar homes.
     That makes for expensive repairs. "We have no flood insurance,"
said
Wilson, one of the residents. "We don't live in the flood plain. Why
would we
get insurance?"

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