Viral Frying Pan Tower flag to be donated to American Red Cross
What remains of the resilient American flag that captivated the internet as Hurricane Florence hammered a decommissioned lighthouse off the coast of North Carolina will be donated to the American Red Cross.
Last Thursday, as Hurricane Florence – then a Category 3 storm – made its way toward Wilmington, a live stream from Frying Pan Tower captured the attention of viewers all over the world.
{
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}The obsession? The flag of the United States being beaten by the storm as it flew from the former Coast Guard light station.
The owner of Frying Pan Tower, which is located approximately 34 miles off the coast, says his hope is to bring the flag to shore and donate it to the American Red Cross.
"They have a yearly auction, and in this auction we're hoping they can actually achieve a pretty sizable donation that they can use directly for people who have a need for their services," Richard Neal explained.
When asked whether he thought the flag was still flying, almost 24 hours after connection to the live stream was lost, Neal said the flag will certainly be "in tatters," but it will be there.
"Based on my experience – having been out there during Hurricane Matthew, Hurricane Arthur and having Hurricane Sandy go past – yeah, it's still there," Neal assured. "It's definitely going to be in tatters, even more so than we saw. We probably still have all the stars and a few stripes, and it may be wrapped up a little bit."
During a Facebook Live chat on Friday, Neal explained why the caretakers of Frying Pan Tower decided to leave the flag flying, an action many criticized as disrespectful.
Neal explained the flag was raised about two weeks ago, before they knew Florence would become a hurricane and before they knew its path. Once it became clear the severity of Florence, Neal said the flying of the flag during the worst of storm became symbolic.
"Flying the American flag in strenuous or difficult or dangerous circumstances when you can't really do anything about it but stand behind it with pride and honor is kind of something we thought was an appropriate way of handling this," Neal said.
Normal protocol for the flag, Neal said, is to replace it once it begins to become tattered. The flag is then retired.
"We retire our flags to Boy Scout groups, [and] other organizations that do them the right honor," Neal said.
After Thursday's brush with viral fame, Neal said FlagandBanner.com contacted him about donating a new flag every month.
"It's going to be the very best one we even know of," he said. "It's going to be the most durable one."
Neal purchased Frying Pan Tower in an auction in 2010. He and volunteers have since restored the tower and converted it into a bed and breakfast.
