thedrifter
09-04-08, 06:41 AM
Onslow preparing for Hanna
Comments | Recommend
Forecast has storm hitting here
September 4, 2008 - 12:54AM
LINDELL KAY
While Tropical Storm Hanna zeroes in on Onslow County and emergency officials plan for the worst, it is business as usual for most of the community.
The Onslow County Emergency Services director says that Wednesday's 5 p.m. forecast had Hanna coming ashore in the middle of Onslow County as a Category 1 hurricane at 9 p.m. Friday.
Increasing winds, high seas, storm surge and beach erosion are expected impacts of Hanna as the storm lumbers up the coastline, according to information from the National Weather Service in Newport.
Hanna will bring the threats of strong winds, heavy rain, tornados and coastal flooding, said NWS forecaster John Cole.
The Onslow County manager and Board of Commissioners will make a decision today whether to activate the Emergency Operations Center, said Mark Goodman, the director of Onslow County Emergency Services and Homeland Security Department.
The EOC will coordinate emergency services between law enforcement, fire officials and utility companies during the storm. The EOC will be activated prior to shelters being opened to facilitate the operation as smoothly as possible, Goodman said.
While officials were holding their first meeting Wednesday afternoon about the storm, grocery store managers said they were already seeing an uptick in customers. But store shelves across the area are still full - for now.
"That might change tomorrow," said Donald Shaw, the manager at the Gum Branch Road Food Lion. "But we have trucks steadily bringing in goods."
Shaw said his store is stocked up with storm supply staples like water and milk and ready for the rush.
"People are talking about it, but not going crazy yet," said Yolanda Tate, the manager of IGA in Surf City.
She said she ordered extra water and batteries "because if this storm doesn't hit us, there are two more behind it that might."
Hanna remained a tropical storm as of mid-day Wednesday, but that didn't lessen the activity at the Carteret County Emergency Services office.
"It's still a tropical storm but (forecasters) have it increasing to hurricane strength," said county Emergency Services Director Jo Ann Smith as she tracked the storm's path from her computer.
Smith said the best case scenario would be for the storm to turn away from the coast without much of an impact on the area, but the job of emergency responders is to be ready for the possibility of a hurricane passing through the county.
"Always plan for the worst," Smith said.
Emergency management officials continued to stress to residents that they should begin preparing now rather than waiting until the last minute.
Camp Lejeune officials are busy reassessing lines of communication, testing emergency generators and going over the recall roster, said 1st Lt. Craig Thomas, a spokesman for the base.
A meeting is planned for this morning to discuss further preparations, Thomas said.
Other military installations across the Carolinas are also preparing for the incoming tropical weather.
About 80 F-15E Strike Eagles and three aerial tankers from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro and about four C-130 transport planes from Pope Air Force Base near Fort Bragg are being sent to Ohio to ride out the storm.
In South Carolina, Marines at Parris Island are moving their weekly recruit graduation up a day because of Tropical Storm Hanna. Several thousand family members are expected to attend the graduation of some 750 Marines today instead of Friday.
A Marine installation in Georgia is ready to take in the remaining 7,000 recruits who are in various stages of training at the installation if necessary, base officials said.
The Associated Press and Daily News staff writer Jannette Pippin contributed to this report.
Contact crime reporter Lindell Kay at 910-219-8456. Read Lindell's blog at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com.
LOCAL DECISIONS TODAY
Local officials are expected to make decisions today regarding evacuations or shelter openings.
Mark Goodman, director of Onslow County Emergency Services, said he will gather information about the storm's expected strength and intensity from the National Hurricane Center and make a recommendation to the county manager and the Board of Commissioners regarding evacuation. They will then make the final decision on evacuation for the county. Meetings are scheduled at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. today.
The evacuation of municipalities within the county are determined by local municipal governments.
Surf City and North Topsail Beach are meeting at noon today and will likely make their decisions then.
Carteret County Emergency Services Director Jo Ann Smith said the county's control group will meet at 2 p.m. today.
The control group is made up of the mayors of each town in the county, county representatives, emergency responders and others involved in decisions related to evacuations and shelter openings.
Under North Carolina law the governor can also make a decision to evacuate the coastal area.
EVENTS CANCELLED
While emergency officials continue preparations for Tropical Storm Hanna, event organizers have ceased theirs.
This weekend's lineup has been wiped virtually clean by the storm's impending approach.
The anticipated return of Downtown Alive, for one, will have to wait.
The BOLD Board of Directors has decided to cancel Friday's concert. The concert series will resume on Oct. 3, but officials say that date may be bumped up if scheduling allows. For more information, visit www.GotDowntown.com.
Richlands Farmer's Day, an outdoor festival held annually on the Saturday after Labor Day, will hold off for a week, with organizers locking in to the Sept. 13 rain date.
The Combined Federal Campaign fundraising run and the rest of Military Retiree Appreciation Day events planned aboard Camp Lejeune on Saturday have been scrubbed.
Cape Lookout National Seashore has implemented its emergency weather evacuation plan due to the approach of the storm. The park will be closed to all visitors and all services will be shut down beginning todayThursday at 5 p.m. until further notice.
And the September Starter Bass Tournament scheduled for Saturday at Camp Lejeune has been canceled. Call Gottschalk Marina at 910-451-5083 for more information.
Ellie
Comments | Recommend
Forecast has storm hitting here
September 4, 2008 - 12:54AM
LINDELL KAY
While Tropical Storm Hanna zeroes in on Onslow County and emergency officials plan for the worst, it is business as usual for most of the community.
The Onslow County Emergency Services director says that Wednesday's 5 p.m. forecast had Hanna coming ashore in the middle of Onslow County as a Category 1 hurricane at 9 p.m. Friday.
Increasing winds, high seas, storm surge and beach erosion are expected impacts of Hanna as the storm lumbers up the coastline, according to information from the National Weather Service in Newport.
Hanna will bring the threats of strong winds, heavy rain, tornados and coastal flooding, said NWS forecaster John Cole.
The Onslow County manager and Board of Commissioners will make a decision today whether to activate the Emergency Operations Center, said Mark Goodman, the director of Onslow County Emergency Services and Homeland Security Department.
The EOC will coordinate emergency services between law enforcement, fire officials and utility companies during the storm. The EOC will be activated prior to shelters being opened to facilitate the operation as smoothly as possible, Goodman said.
While officials were holding their first meeting Wednesday afternoon about the storm, grocery store managers said they were already seeing an uptick in customers. But store shelves across the area are still full - for now.
"That might change tomorrow," said Donald Shaw, the manager at the Gum Branch Road Food Lion. "But we have trucks steadily bringing in goods."
Shaw said his store is stocked up with storm supply staples like water and milk and ready for the rush.
"People are talking about it, but not going crazy yet," said Yolanda Tate, the manager of IGA in Surf City.
She said she ordered extra water and batteries "because if this storm doesn't hit us, there are two more behind it that might."
Hanna remained a tropical storm as of mid-day Wednesday, but that didn't lessen the activity at the Carteret County Emergency Services office.
"It's still a tropical storm but (forecasters) have it increasing to hurricane strength," said county Emergency Services Director Jo Ann Smith as she tracked the storm's path from her computer.
Smith said the best case scenario would be for the storm to turn away from the coast without much of an impact on the area, but the job of emergency responders is to be ready for the possibility of a hurricane passing through the county.
"Always plan for the worst," Smith said.
Emergency management officials continued to stress to residents that they should begin preparing now rather than waiting until the last minute.
Camp Lejeune officials are busy reassessing lines of communication, testing emergency generators and going over the recall roster, said 1st Lt. Craig Thomas, a spokesman for the base.
A meeting is planned for this morning to discuss further preparations, Thomas said.
Other military installations across the Carolinas are also preparing for the incoming tropical weather.
About 80 F-15E Strike Eagles and three aerial tankers from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro and about four C-130 transport planes from Pope Air Force Base near Fort Bragg are being sent to Ohio to ride out the storm.
In South Carolina, Marines at Parris Island are moving their weekly recruit graduation up a day because of Tropical Storm Hanna. Several thousand family members are expected to attend the graduation of some 750 Marines today instead of Friday.
A Marine installation in Georgia is ready to take in the remaining 7,000 recruits who are in various stages of training at the installation if necessary, base officials said.
The Associated Press and Daily News staff writer Jannette Pippin contributed to this report.
Contact crime reporter Lindell Kay at 910-219-8456. Read Lindell's blog at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com.
LOCAL DECISIONS TODAY
Local officials are expected to make decisions today regarding evacuations or shelter openings.
Mark Goodman, director of Onslow County Emergency Services, said he will gather information about the storm's expected strength and intensity from the National Hurricane Center and make a recommendation to the county manager and the Board of Commissioners regarding evacuation. They will then make the final decision on evacuation for the county. Meetings are scheduled at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. today.
The evacuation of municipalities within the county are determined by local municipal governments.
Surf City and North Topsail Beach are meeting at noon today and will likely make their decisions then.
Carteret County Emergency Services Director Jo Ann Smith said the county's control group will meet at 2 p.m. today.
The control group is made up of the mayors of each town in the county, county representatives, emergency responders and others involved in decisions related to evacuations and shelter openings.
Under North Carolina law the governor can also make a decision to evacuate the coastal area.
EVENTS CANCELLED
While emergency officials continue preparations for Tropical Storm Hanna, event organizers have ceased theirs.
This weekend's lineup has been wiped virtually clean by the storm's impending approach.
The anticipated return of Downtown Alive, for one, will have to wait.
The BOLD Board of Directors has decided to cancel Friday's concert. The concert series will resume on Oct. 3, but officials say that date may be bumped up if scheduling allows. For more information, visit www.GotDowntown.com.
Richlands Farmer's Day, an outdoor festival held annually on the Saturday after Labor Day, will hold off for a week, with organizers locking in to the Sept. 13 rain date.
The Combined Federal Campaign fundraising run and the rest of Military Retiree Appreciation Day events planned aboard Camp Lejeune on Saturday have been scrubbed.
Cape Lookout National Seashore has implemented its emergency weather evacuation plan due to the approach of the storm. The park will be closed to all visitors and all services will be shut down beginning todayThursday at 5 p.m. until further notice.
And the September Starter Bass Tournament scheduled for Saturday at Camp Lejeune has been canceled. Call Gottschalk Marina at 910-451-5083 for more information.
Ellie