PRINCEVILLE, N.C.�More than a week after a devastating flood rendered this historic town destroyed and abandoned, there are two questions that resonate from the mouths of residents: Why did it happen so fast, and why wasn�t there ample warning?

The water rose so fast during the night of Sept. 16 that residents of this town and surrounding areas didn�t have time to pack even the smallest bag of necessities.

"There was no warning," said James Henry Johnson, 64, a resident who lost everything. "It came so fast, that�s all I know," he said.

Mr. Johnson and hundreds like him were rescued from the grips of the rising floodwaters by boat and even helicopter. Today, many of them are grateful for a roof over their heads and food to eat in the 10 shelters that remain open throughout Edgecombe County.

The nightmare for residents of Princeville and the string of towns along the lower end of the Tar River began when Hurricane Floyd dumped torrential rains over farmland already in the grip of a severe drought.

But Floyd had come and gone and the sun had returned Sept. 16 with residents breathing a sigh of relief at the minor flooding that had occurred in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane.

But that all changed overnight. And that�s where the questions for these residents begin.

In a matter of a few hours flood waters rose from a few inches high to waist high. And the current was swift enough to pull a strong man, many residents told The Final Call Sept. 26.

Lee Black, 35, a descendant of one of the first families to settle in Princeville, said he waded in the water to help a family. When he finished, the water had risen and the current was so strong that he couldn�t get back to his girlfriend�s house to help her.

"If it had been a slow rise, I could have managed," he said. But the sudden rise is "why people such as myself got out with nothing but the clothes on our back."

Bruce Bryant, 42, also of Princeville, said he had to tie tree branches together and light a fire so the National Guard could rescue him and others from the rising waters.

And when a helicopter came, "not everybody could get on because it was full. We had to get on a boat." More than 45 people were reported dead as a result of the flood at Final Call press time.

With no firm answers yet coming from administrators concerned about getting past the immediate impact of the flood and securing families and facilities, rumors and speculation spread among residents in the shelters. Some discussed whether improper management of the release of water from floodgates caused the rush of water, while others point to a dike that was sorely in need of repair.

It is known that the ground was saturated with water in the aftermath of Hurricane Dennis, which struck the North Carolina coast several weeks before Hurricane Floyd. And news reports indicated that dams upriver were stressed from the crush of water dumped by Floyd.

"But why weren�t the people given adequate warning," asked Min. Ray Muhammad, coordinator of the Nation of Islam�s study group in Rocky Mount, an area impacted by the flood. "There�s a hidden 12 hours where the people could have been given ample warning." He said a decision should have been made to evacuate the city long before the flooding because administrators knew of the stress of the rain on the flood management system.

"It was a either a clear case of intent, or it was gross neglect," added Wayne Williams, an attorney in Rocky Mount. "It rained three days before Hurricane Floyd reached the coast. It was foreseeable that the rivers were going to overflow."

Another informed rescue management official told The Final Call that the dike protecting Princeville designed by the Corp of Engineers was "badly constructed" and that the county was slow to respond to early requests for assistance. Seventeen thousand homes were destroyed in Edgecombe County, said relief spokesperson Diane LeFiles.

While Princeville Mayor Delia Perkins is satisfied with the support she is getting from the numerous local, county and federal agencies on the scene, it was her initiative that got the ball rolling even for a late notice to evacuate the town.

As she was at her desk and while her staff and volunteers were sandbagging the dike following the hurricane, she called the weather service and learned that her efforts would be futile.

"We had all the support anyone could ask for. I feel we did a good job of getting people out," she said.

Edgecombe County Manager Joe Durham said release of floodwaters had no significant impact on the flooding. He said it was the 16 inches of rain dumped by Floyd on ground already saturated with water that caused the flooding.

But Thomas McDonald, a writer with a Tarboro daily newspaper, said the problem that was borne out in the flood goes back even further�to the establishment of the Black town.

"Where Rosewood was destroyed by the murderous rage of racism � the nation�s first Black town was drowned, but it had a racist component," he said. Mr. McDonald wrote an article titled "Princeville: Another Rosewood," where he argues that racism was a factor in placing freed Blacks who established Princeville in a low-lying flood plain. Racism also led to the destruction of the Florida town of Rosewood by whites angered because a white woman claimed a Black man had raped her, he said.

"Some theories claim that the white establishment gave the land freely to Blacks because it was flood prone and they needed a place for their newly-freed labor force," Mr. McDonald told The Final Call.

Nevertheless, Mayor Perkins sees a bright future for her town. "Without a doubt, we�re going to rebuild," she said. "The people will have to take things in stride. But we�re a strong people, and we love Princeville."

At Final Call press time a truckload of food, clothing and supplies was headed to North Carolina, the result of a relief effort by the Nation of Islam for the citizens of the state.

"We love our brothers and sisters and understand the need to help one another," said Nation of Islam Supreme Capt. Abdul Sharrieff Muhammad, as Muslims loaded trucks with supplies in Chicago. "As Muslims, under the leadership of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, we�re blessed to be taught to have survival kits�supplies we stock in case of emergency. We need to take that seriously and be willing to help others because you never know when disaster could strike your family," he said.