Photo Stories from the American South

Sean Rayford 5/25/25 Sean Rayford 5/25/25

Hurricane Helene trashed NC rivers. Now what?

Former river guides and outdoor workers clean millions of pounds of debris from Western North Carolina rivers after Hurricane Helene.

Sean Rayford 9/5/21 Sean Rayford 9/5/21

Photos: Hurricane Ida pummels Louisiana

Sean Rayford 3/4/21 Sean Rayford 3/4/21

Horry County residents inundated along the Intercoastal Waterway

Sean Rayford 4/14/20 Sean Rayford 4/14/20

“We crawled out from under that rubble”

Sean Rayford 9/8/19 Sean Rayford 9/8/19

On the ground in Charleston as Hurricane Dorian brushes the South Carolina coast — downed power lines, flooded streets, and exploding transformers.

Sean Rayford 9/3/19 Sean Rayford 9/3/19

A South Carolina photojournalist preps the disaster van ahead of Hurricane Dorian — gear, kayak, chainsaw waders and more.