September is National Preparedness Month!

This article brings you lessons about neighborhood preparedness from Tropical Storm Chantal. It's the featured article ("The Big Story") in September's free print edition of The Carrborean and is a bit longer than the typical articles posted on this website.

In Orange County:

• 448 homes impacted; 2% had flood insurance; 101 were rentals; 22% were not in a flood zone
• $29.5 million estimated damage to residences
• From 7pm July 6 into July 7 there were more than 70 swift water rescues with 8 boats
• Between 7pm July 6 and 7am July 7, 911 operators received 7953 calls, with 3000 coming between 10 and 11pm. On a typical Sunday night, they receive 100-150 calls. All but about 450 of those calls were answered by 9 operators with the overflow redirected to neighboring jurisdictions.

Source: Orange County Emergency Management Office

Carrboro’s Fire Chief, Will Potter, said it was as though the storm just “parked” over us. Through the afternoon, evening, and night of July 6 and the early morning hours of July 7, TS Chantal dumped about 10 inches of rain on Carrboro. In Orange County, almost 7 inches fell between 7pm and 8pm. “In Orange County, it’s the speed of rainfall that causes a problem rather than the amount,” said Kirby Saunders, Orange County Emergency Services Director. University Lake, a 213-acre freshwater reservoir formed by five creeks that provides drinking water for Carrboro, reached historic levels that night. The chart illustrates water accumulation in the reservoir. The most serious flooding event in Carrboro prior to TS Chantal was Hurricane Florence in 2018. “Dam EAP” means “Dam Emergency Action Plan,” which “identifies potential emergency conditions at a dam and specifies actions to be followed to minimize loss of life and property damage” according to North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality. While Florence brought the lake 54 inches over the spillway, Chantal took it 93 inches over. 

Some neighborhoods of Carrboro were badly affected while others were barely affected, but this chart should leave no doubt that a record-breaking event occurred here this summer. Individuals, families, and neighborhoods need to be prepared as storms increase in intensity causing more damage than has previously been recorded and often leading to flooding. This article summarizes what happened in the Weatherhill Pointe neighborhood near University Lake in the first week (relief phase) after the storm and presents recommendations for individuals and neighborhoods to consider for their own preparedness plans.

Readers of The Carrborean online have followed the developments in Weatherhill Pointe, where 48 out of 58 homes were flooded and remain uninhabitable while home owners work to restore them over the next 3- 6 months. We note here in detail the main events the first week after the storm, when temperatures were around 90 degrees with high humidity and more thunderstorms several evenings of the week.

Day 0, July 6: Dozens of residents evacuated by boat in waist-high water ~11pm - midnight

Day 1, July 7: Residents and volunteers surveyed damage to homes and neighborhood infrastructure and began to plan recovery. The home-owners’ association (HOA) began twice daily email updates with resources and information for residents which continued through the first week. The HOA established a neighborhood resource center where residents and volunteers could pick up water and supplies including gloves and trash bags. Neighbors purchased and shared cleaning supplies and equipment such as floor squeegies. Electricity and gas supply was cut for many homes. Emergency services provided life safety checks and conducted a preliminary damage assessment to send information to Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, a professional disaster response coordinating organization. The HOA called the American Red Cross (ARC) to report an initial damage assessment and request “mass care” assistance including, water, snacks, and clean-up kits.

Key points for neighborhood preparedness: Establish basic community organization (e.g., through existing HOA structure). Establish a neighborhood resource center with preliminary supplies: water, gloves, trash bags. Request assistance from ARC and local government.

Day 2, July 8: Triangle Mutual Aid (TMA) organized volunteers and supplies for affected neighborhoods. TMA and Town Council Members Danny Nowell and Catherine Fray arrived in the neighborhood to help with mucking and gutting homes. A list of neighborhood needs was updated throughout each day by The Carrborean until professional support arrived on Day 6. Local merchants donated water and Powerade. Some residents hired private contractors to do mucking and gutting work. Habitat for Humanity arrived and gave advice to homeowners on what to get started on to preserve their homes. The HOA toured the neighborhood with Town Council Members and requested trash bags, gloves, coolers, immediate help getting bulk trash off the curb, and support for public health and mental health.

Key points for neighborhood preparedness: Establish centralized and ongoing neighborhood assessment and communication of needs through identified outlets. Prioritize hydration and public health messaging. Have pre-printed maps of the neighborhood and sign-in sheets for volunteers. Communicate needs to local government. Have a plan for managing volunteers and donations (who, what, where) linked to existing government and volunteer relief efforts. Note time on fresh food donations to avoid illness and health code violations. Ask ARC for clean-up kits.

Day 3, July 9: Mold set in. Mucking and gutting homes continued with volunteer support. TMA, Operation Providing Hope, and the Democratic Socialists of America joined other volunteers from adjacent neighborhoods to help residents. Neighbors sourced donations from local restaurants for lunch for the community for the next 10 days. Carrboro Public Works arrived to clear large debris piles. Carrboro Town and Orange County employees were onsite providing assistance. Basic personal protective equipment (PPE; masks and gloves) were donated and used up quickly; several requests went out throughout the day to restock. HOA and volunteers conducted outreach to neighbors still living in their houses to give them information and supplies and help them leave. DSA and TMA helped people find temporary emergency housing. 

Key points for neighborhood preparedness: Mold arrives quickly and requires upgraded PPE which can be used up quickly; identify a supply source. Assign volunteers who want to help but cannot muck out houses to provide lunch and other refreshments to residents and volunteers. Testimonials indicated this boosts morale as people feel cared for. Ensure communication with all residents. Organize volunteers to go house to house with supplies to check what people need.

Day 4, July 10:  Mucking and gutting homes continued with volunteer support. Carrboro Public Works cleared large debris piles. The Orange County Recovery Assistance Center was established and hosted an information and assistance event at the Drakeford Building which continued for the next few days, and TMA provided transportation for residents as several residents lost vehicles to the flood. Orange County Emergency Management and HOA provided a community situation report to the Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) and nonprofit organizations mobilized to provide sustained support to the neighborhood. HOA requested support from the county with managing volunteers and donations in the neighborhood but they didn’t have the resources to help with that.

Key points for neighborhood preparedness: As soon as official communication channels are established, encourage residents to link to them and provide the resources they need (e.g., transportation) to do so. Rely on official communication to address rumors that may circulate. Establish a routine for the community (e.g., staffing and standard operating hours for the resource center). Ensure safety throughout the neighborhood, e.g., addressing high-traffic, muddy areas to prevent falls and making a First Aid Kit available in the resource center.

Day 5, July 11: Mucking and gutting homes continued with volunteer support from the same organizations. Orange County delivered personal protective equipment going forward. HOA continued making resource requests through government channels.

Day 6, July 12: Mucking and gutting homes continued with volunteer support. Team Rubicon and Reach Out Worldwide arrived and assumed leadership of mucking and gutting efforts for homes that did not hire private contractors; they commit to working in WHP for two weeks. ARC conducted a detailed damage assessment. Carrboro’s Fire Chief, Will Potter, conducted a thorough assessment and arranged for six portable toilets and handwashing stations to be placed around the neighborhood. 

Key points for neighborhood preparedness: Plan for the need for portable toilets and handwashing stations for residents and volunteers.

Day 7  - onward: Relief operations continued over the next week with neighborhood, volunteer, and government assisting residents with planning their recovery. ARC returned with information about recovery support and case workers for mental health issues. Residents continued to work on restoring power and Orange County along with state and federal offices assessed flood impacts and needs onsite. A new routine was established as the neighborhood moved from the relief to the recovery phase. Governor Stein signed the emergency declaration (Executive Order 18) on Day 11, July 17, opening up more resources for support to affected residents and a few weeks later, individual assistance resources become available through application at the Drakeford Building.

Key points for neighborhood preparedness: Beware of scammers and volunteers not providing material assistance. Ensure residents have access to ongoing official communications so they do not become prey to scammers or rumors. Send scammers away from the neighborhood. Neighborhoods can organize visits from official services (e.g., social workers, NC Department of Insurance, and Carrboro Town Planning, Zoning, and Inspections Department) to provide information to residents. Typically, case workers cannot arrive until most of a disaster assessment is completed but that puts untrained volunteers in the position of having difficult conversations with residents. Both volunteers and residents can experience trauma in these situations so try to bring these services in as soon as possible after a disaster occurs. You may want to schedule multiple neighborhood clean up days to beautify the neighborhood (which is important for safety and physical and mental health) and call for volunteers to help.

The outpouring of volunteer assistance to the WHP neighborhood was phenomenal and the HOA and neighborhood residents expressed ongoing gratitude to volunteers through the relief and now recovery phases.

Key Takeaways and Resources

• Orange County Emergency Management recommends everyone gets flood insurance, which is backed by FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. Carrboro is a participating NFIP community. “If you live where it rains, you live where it could flood” warns Kirby Saunders, Orange County Emergency Services Director. 
• Carrboro Town Fire Chief recommends everyone enables Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on cell phones. These messages are sent by authorized government alerting authorities such as local and state public safety agencies, FEMA, the FCC, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Weather Service through your mobile carrier. Additional information: https://www.weather.gov/wrn/wea
• When emergency services are overwhelmed by unexpected conditions, individual and neighborhood preparation provides a critical response to emergencies.
• With resources on Orange County Emergency Management website, individuals and families can: 
  • Sign up for OC Alerts
  • Put together your 72-hour survival kit
  • Make a plan (template on website)
• Neighborhoods can prepare by:
  • Making a plan using Orange Counties “5 Steps to Neighborhood Preparedness” and lessons from this story
  • Inviting Carrboro Emergency Management to a neighborhood meeting to discuss preparedness
  • In the plan, include elements of response to the emergency and relief during those first days and possibly weeks while government services organize
• Report emergencies to 911.
• During and after an emergency, keep communications going within neighborhoods.
• After the emergency, contact Carrboro Town’s Fire-Rescue Office which handles emergency management to report damage and request assistance. They may advise you to contact Orange County Emergency Services. Report flooding issues to the Carrboro Stormwater Division. Call the American Red Cross for supplies. Enact other relief measures from your neighborhood plan. Phone numbers and other information can be found at Carrboro Ready.