Photo: Ron Phelps/Facebook
An 85-year-old man who served in the U.S. Navy during the 1950s died after he contracted a bacterial infection in the aftermathHurricane Florence, becoming the latest of dozens of deaths linked to the storm.
Ron Phelps was cleaning his backyard in the days after Florence swept through North Carolina when he accidentally cut his leg and developed a severe bacterial infection, reportsWECT. Phelps, who lived near the Intracoastal Waterway in Wilmington, had contracted a rare bacteria only found in saltwater. Doctors then had to amputate his leg as the infection progressed. But despite their efforts, Phelps died on Tuesday.
“He really brought the town together,” his niece, Paula Phelps Turner, toldStar News.
Running the social media page became one of Phelps’ many joys in life, and he could constantly be seen updating and posting to Facebook.
“He loved that Facebook page, and he loved to see people happy,” Phelps’ stepson, Steve Shepard, told the publication. “He used that cell phone like a 15-year-old.”
Florence poured more than30 inches of rainover the region when it hit in mid-September.
In North Carolina, 39 people have died as a result of Florence, and a portion of the deaths have been attributed to post-storm cleanup, Gov. Roy Cooper’s officeannounced.
“Residents should wear gloves and proper protective clothing while doing storm clean-up work and wash any cuts or scrapes thoroughly to prevent infection,” the governor’s officeadvised.
In South Carolina, eight people have been killed in relation to the storm, as well as three in Virginia, according toCNN.
source: people.com
