By Mark Darrough - July 21, 2019
BURGAW — More than 10 months after Hurricane Florence caused widespread flooding to large portions of Pender County, officials released an internal report documenting lessons learned after the county’s response during and after the storm.
Four “primary areas for improvement” were outlined in the report: debris management; the need for essential Emergency Operations Center (EOC) staff; the need for standard operating procedures at the EOC; and improved shelter planning, management, and training.
The 13-page report was compiled after four workgroup sessions were held in late February with more than 70 EOC staff, county managers, elected officials, and members of outside organizations involved in the storm. The groups identified six areas for further analysis: communications, debris management, shelters, asset management, EOC and operations, and training and staffing.
“The findings are then used to develop corrective actions and lessons learned that may be applied to future planning, mitigation, response, and recovery,” according to the report.
It also identified the county’s strengths during Florence: EOC officials and first responders were proactive in their preparation and response to Florence; information was disseminated widely on social media, print, internet, radio, and television; county agencies “worked well” with each other, and; distribution and planning for the county’s fuel needs were effective.
The report was published on Thursday (read it in full below). On Friday morning, county spokesperson Tammy Proctor said its delayed publication was due to a desire for thoroughness.
“We had the working committees that we allowed to submit their findings into June and then we had several of us review it,” Proctor said. “The bottom line is, we wanted to be thorough.”
Although the report identified “areas of improvement” for the six categories, it did not include an action plan or a timeline to execute such a plan.
In February, neighboring New Hanover County published a similar report with a detailed action plan timeline that County Manager Chris Coudriet called “aggressive” due to an urgency felt by the county, with a detailed plan to address core issues and to implement new plans and regulations.
Storm recap
A helicopter flies over Moores Creek, which flows into the Black River, above flooded areas of Currie five days after Hurricane Florence made landfall. (Port City Daily photo/Mark Darrough)
The report first summarized catastrophic damage in the region and in the county as a result of widespread freshwater flooding.
Despite making landfall as a weakened Category 1 hurricane – just days earlier the storm approached the coast as a Category 4 hurricane – a high-pressure ridge over eastern North America stalled Florence’s motion for several days, causing it to move forward at only 2-3 miles per hour.
“[T]he storm continually dumped heavy rain along coastal areas from September 13, when the outer rain bands first began to be felt, to September 15, when the storm was still stalled out only a few miles west of Pender County,” according to the report.
The storm moved inland from September 15 to 17, where heavy rain caused widespread inland flooding as the Cape Fear River, Northeast Cape Fear, and Black River spilled over their banks. Large stretches of I-40, I-95, U.S. 421, and U.S. 70 remained impassable for several days after the storm had passed.
The county first issued evacuation notices for homes near the rivers and coastal regions, which later became a county-wide evacuation.
“At the peak of the hurricane’s impact every state-maintained road in Pender County was closed” during the storm, according to the report. Approximately 1,200 people were sheltered and an estimated 200 emergency workers supported response efforts, along with the support of state, county, and local agencies.
Other key figures included:
$17,607,891 in individual assistance from 7,817 valid applications;
$3,806,239 in public assistance to the county;
Approximately 1,500 emergency workers involved in response and recovery;
More than 3,000 citizens rescued during approximately 1,850 missions.
Communications issues
The report recommends the establishment of a county-wide AM radio station, improved communications with local media, the establishment of a second call center in Hampstead, and improved communications with neighboring municipalities.
The use of the Hampstead Annex building would double the county’s post-storm call takers and would include county employees along the U.S. 17 corridor who aren’t able to reach Burgaw, according to the report.
“This is a good time to emphasize that all county employees work during an event,” the report stated. “During Hurricane Florence, residents were knocking on the doors of the Annex looking for answers and information.”
Ideas to improve communications with the county’s municipal governments include “giv[ing] town managers and mayors the cell phone number of the [public information officer] for direct access to the EOC,” as well as meeting with them to establish better communications.
The report also suggested turning off the ability to comment on the county’s Emergency Management (EM) Facebook page to “eliminate misinformation given by third parties,” and creating an EM phone app to update needed preparations, evacuations, and road closures.
Lastly, it recommended better organization of the county’s website regarding press releases, updates, mandatory evacuations, and FEMA instructions.
“We want communications during an event to update the website as we send out information. This takes a burden from IT,” the report states.
Debris: ‘Illegal dumping was prevalent’
One of the piles of house debris on U.S. 53 just northeast of Burgaw near the Northeast Cape Fear River, six weeks after Florence made landfall. (Port City Daily photo/Mark Darrough)
The report noted that “debris pickup was extremely challenging and illegal dumping was prevalent” after the hurricane.
A Debris Work Group outlined three “areas of improvement”:
Re-visit the debris contract [with DRC Emergency Services] and require a timeline and penalties for straying from the agreed timeline and schedule.
Include the DOT in all discussions regarding debris.
Determine who picks up debris in St. Helena, Watha, Atkinson, Burgaw, Topsail Beach, and Surf City.
Port City Daily covered the issue extensively in the months after the hurricane, including the county’s agreement to spend $600,000 to remove hurricane debris along private, unpaved roads after months of public pressure. A photo collection published in late October showed extensive debris piles along U.S. 53 just northeast of Burgaw.
Shelter
The Shelter Work Group focused on issues surrounding countywide emergency sheltering, evacuation, feeding operations, and sheltering agency support personnel.
“Initial discussions focused on emergency shelters and their safety during such events,” according to the report.
Shelters were opened in four schools during the storm: Burgaw Middle and Elementary, Topsail Elementary, Cape Fear Middle, and Malpass Corner Elementary.
The report stated that the greatest obstacles came from “challenges of flooded roads and a large (870 square miles) geographic population to support.” It identified six key weaknesses and recommendations:
Develop shelter plans with roles and responsibilities.
Complete Red Cross site approval of primary pre-storm shelters (Topsail High School, Pender High School, Heidi Trask High School, and Burgaw Elementary)
Develop a plan to manage sex offenders in need of shelter.
Determine and complete appropriate training for shelter personnel.
Develop a plan to manage special need citizens who need sheltering.
Complete Red Cross site approval of secondary post-storm shelters (Cape Fear Elementary/Middle, Malpass Corner Elementary, Surf City Elementary, Topsail Middle).
Asset Management
The Asset Management Work Group identified key issues surrounding the acquisition, maintenance, and management of resources needed to support county operations during the storm. This included adding two generators.
“Generators and fuel are the main assets in need until power is restored during the event,” the report stated. “Fuel management was not an issue because the Facilities Department had rented fuel cubes for storage and relocation of fuel to needed locations. Generator performance was uneven with some locations experiencing uninterrupted service and others no service.”
It also recommended upgrading the EOC facility, including the addition of 500 cots.
Identified areas for improvement included:
Install a generator at the Burgaw Fuel Depot to power the fuel depot, the Health Department’s vaccine refrigerators and IT server room, and lights of the Government Complex in Burgaw.
Install a generator a the Agricultural Building to power the entire building.
Rent three additional fuel cubes.
EOC upgrades: additional shower facilities, meeting rooms (convertible to sleeping when needed), expand kitchen with walk-in cooler.
Add 500 cots.
EOC and Operations
The EOC/Operations Workgroup found the layout of the EOC in Burgaw to be “inefficient for the flow of information.”
“The scope of the response to Hurricane Florence was greater than any prior event at the EOC and challenged the facility,” the report stated.
Identified areas for improvement included:
Identify secondary and tertiary EOC locations and cost to upfit to make them serviceable.
Identify Points of Distribution locations for pre-storm supplies.
Identify an additional county-owned site for sleeping and eating during the center’s activation.
Create a policy to manage volunteers and volunteer organizations that want to help during an EOC activation.
Recommendation for ‘Go Kits’ that personnel would bring when working at the EOC.
Research grant funding for emergency preparedness and facility upgrades.
Training and staffing
The Training and Staffing Work Group reviewed the preparedness and effectiveness of EOC staff. The report said challenges arose from a slow-moving storm that flooded major roads and hindered county employees’ ability to return to work. The EOC was staffed with two 12-hour shifts that supported planning, finance, logistics, and operations.
The group identified the following ten areas for improvement:
Develop a policy to clearly identify overtime pay in relation to EOC activation and recovery.
Continue to foster the relationship of public service by recognizing contributions to the community in times of need through employee appreciation events, and illustrate to the community the role county government has in disaster response.
Continue to provide opportunities for training on the WebEOC platform and require ICS (Incident Command System) online training for all employees.
Provide additional training on proper protocol for answering and directing calls through the call-taker position. Include a call-taker liaison for shifts to be able to disseminate updated information.
Provide specialized training for call-takers to manage stressful situations.
Develop manuals for call-taker positions that contain updated information throughout shift changes covering all aspects of the storm event.
Develop a role for each county employee through pre/during/post event. Each role should be analyzed to determine the needs for primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of response and based on activation levels.
Provide additional exercise trainings once roles have been defined and assigned.
Develop a guideline or checklist for personal preparedness kits for employees based on their defined role in disaster participation.
Provide direct support to county employees that have been affected by an event in their personal lives.
[Read the story as published here.]