Local, federal agencies meet in Raleigh to prepare for hurricane season
A meeting between local and federal emergency management agencies on Wednesday will ensure response and rescue teams are ready for hurricane season.
Lt. Col. Matt DeVivo from the National Guard said the 9 a.m. meeting at the N.C. Joint Force Headquarters in Raleigh will plan and outline North Carolina's natural disaster response.
"We're going to discuss the steps it will take to mobilize the N.C. National Guard for a major disaster like a hurricane," DeVivo said, adding that the team will answer questions like:
- Where will the units be coming from?
- How will they report?
- How will they be fed?
- What are their missions going to be?
DeVivo said the meeting will also go over the National Guard's capabilities, like helicopters and high water clearance vehicles, which can move through 30 to 40 inches of floodwaters and send commodities and equipment to help people get out of harm's way.
"We are going to walk through that process to ensure we are synchronized with the state plan," DeVivo said.
During Hurricane Florence, 3,100 Army and air guardsman were mobilized, and high water clearance trucks evacuated 1,700 citizens. Additionally, helicopter missions saved 246 citizens and 91 animals and moved 505,000 pounds of equipment and supplies through disaster areas.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, with most storms occurring in August, September and October. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, will provide a forecast for the Atlantic hurricane season later this month and again in September.
