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Emergency management leaning on state Census office to identify communities of need ahead of Ian

"Data aren't just numbers," he said. "These are people."

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By
Ali Ingersoll
, WRAL Investigative Data Journalist

Preparations for Hurricane Ian are underway across the state. That includes helping identify people in the community who might need extra assistance as Ian makes its way through our region.

"They’re showing you the path of the storm, which areas are highest at risk," Bob Coates, the state census liaison, as he is showing off the OnTheMap emergency management tool that combines census information with natural disaster tracking.

Coates and people in his office work with state emergency management leaders to take it one step further.

"Data aren’t just numbers," he said. "These are people."

The office uses American Communities Survey and labor force information to give them idea of daytime population and community member profiles. The American Community Survey rolled out around the time Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, according to Coates who says, while it wasn't the primary reason for the survey, people in Louisiana used the information to assess needs when responding to the storm.

Now, North Carolina officials do it, too.

Merging datasets with the storm tracking information so responders have a better idea of what the people in communities look like and what sort of additional resources they might need to deploy prior to or following a natural disaster to help people with limitation or language barriers.

"What this tells us is what do these people need what are their limitations and abilities," explained Coates. "When we get a situation, like a storm – is it too dramatic to say life or death? This is the information our local service providers really need to go in and help people where they really are."

Advocates for people living with disabilities - one of the primary groups the state uses the information to identify their locations and address needs - say it's useful the state has that information. North Carolina has more than 3 million people living with disabilities, both seen and unseen. According to the Center for American Progress, people with disabilities are two to four times more likely to die or sustain a critical injury during a disaster than others.

"We realize, even though the state has some responsibility, and the local government has some too, who helps people recover the best is actually your neighbor that lives beside you," said Curtis Hill, an advocate with Disability Rights NC.

He says the data is important but, as they learned from Florence, following up and through is imperative following the storm is imperative.

"You never know what you don't know unless a disaster happens."

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