Be prepared for Tropical Storm Hanna plus Ike and Josephine?

By Maurice Emery
Editor

Emergency Management personal in Halifax are preparing for the possibility of dealing with Tropical Storm Hanna and possibly Tropical Storm Ike and Josephine.  As of press time, the National Weather Service showed that the probable center track of Tropical Storm Hanna would be at  of Myrtle Beach SC at a 8 a.m. on Saturday morning. 

Gov. Mike Easley urged North Carolina residents to take Tropical Storm Hanna seriously during a news conference on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008.  Most of the models agree that Hanna will form into a hurricane on Thursday and make landfall on Saturday.   They are anticipating winds of at least 70 mph if it enters the coast in SC instead of NC.

The state emergency response team was activated on Wednesday morning.  Rainfall is expected to be about 11 inches.  Flood prone areas should be especially watchful.  The last hurricane of this size to come through this area was Fran in 1996.  Fran took several hours to go through the area, Hanna is not expected to take that long.  After Hanna hits Ike could be just a few days behind it.  

The Governor is also concerned about Tropical Storms  Ike and Josephine. Both of them seem to be following the same path as Hanna. He said you should be getting your emergency kits ready. 

 Halifax County Emergency Management Coordinator Tina Hinton and her staff have been working on the preparation for the possible impact of Tropical Storm Hanna since last Friday.  They are in the process of pre-positioning the items they will need in case the storm(s) visit out area.  

According to Hinton all emergency management personnel have been put on emergency standby.  Halifax county has to prepare for both a direct hit from the storm(s) and also the possibility that if the Carolina coast is in the path of the storms the county is set up to handle any coastal evacuations. 

Locally emergency shelters will be open, if needed, at Kirkwood Adams Community Center, W. R. Davy Middle School, Enfield Middle School, Hollister Elementary and SE High School.  Our local radio stations will have the times and other pertinent information if needed. 

Now is the time that you should be preparing for an emergency.  It is recommended that you get your emergency kit ready (See page 7), put loose items up and get your important documents on hand in case they are needed. Make sure you have some cash on hand.  If the electricity goes out ATM machines and credit card machines will not be working.  The Governor mentioned that you might like to have your photo albums with you because they cannot be replaced

Progress energy has issued a statement that advises people of what to do to prepare for the storm.  The company said they will not be sending crews to help with Gustav until they are sure they will not be needed in this area. 

The company’s storm plan includes mobilizing employees to handle increased customer calls, to quickly evaluate storm damage, to coordinate line crew and equipment mobilization, to coordinate materials required for repairs, and to arrange meals and lodging for out-of-town workers.

Customers and media can find outage information on Progress Energy’s Web site 24 hours a day at www.progress-energy.com/outagemap. During major events such as storms, the map will be updated several times a day.

The quickest way to report an outage during a storm is to call the automated outage-reporting system at 1-800-419-6356. For the latest information, visit Progress Energy’s storm site online at www.progress-energy.com/storm.

If you haven’t already done so the NC Department of Insurance’s Consumer Services Division recommends that you make a list of your belongings and take pictures or videotape them. Include a close-up shot of the day’s newspaper to provide the date. Keep your inventory list along with purchase receipts, pictures and your insurance policy in a safe-deposit box or other safe place away from your home. If you are forced to evacuate, take a copy of your policy with you.