Dear Friend,
As Tropical Storm Debby barrels through Florida, our region may experience heavy rain, flash flooding, or tornadoes beginning tomorrow and lasting into Friday. The Weather Forecast Office has expanded the area of Extreme Flooding Potential to include Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Pender, and Robeson Counties.
Please continue to monitor the situation and review the following resources to help you stay safe and informed during the storm. This information is from the most recent briefing from the National Weather Service, but information will likely change.
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Before: - Get a Kit. Assemble an emergency supply kit with 2-3 days of supplies. Develop a Family Emergency Plan since your family may not be together when disaster strikes. Visit ReadyNC.gov to download the Family Emergency Plan.
- Secure your home. If you have time, bring in outdoor furniture. Move essential items to an upper floor.
- Turn off utilities at the main switches or valves if instructed to do so. Disconnect electrical appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.
- Complete a household inventory. Take photos and videos of all valuable or important items in your house. Keep your documentation in a safe place because they are important when filing insurance claims.
- Store important documents in a safe, dry place. Keep them in a watertight container.
During: - Stay informed. Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or local television and radio for information. You can also follow the National Weather Service Wilmington on Facebook and Twitter.
- Get to higher ground. If you live in a flood prone area, get to higher ground immediately. Do not wait for instructions to move.
- Obey evacuation orders. If told to evacuate, do so immediately. Lock your home when you leave. If you have time, disconnect utilities and appliances.
- Do not drive through running water! Almost all who have died from flooding are those who chose to drive through running water. Do NOT drive through running water.
- Six inches of water can reach the bottom of most passenger vehicles, causing them to stall.
- A vehicle can float in just a foot of water.
- Six inches of fast-moving water can knock a person off their feet. A foot of rushing water can carry away a small car, while two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles.
- If your vehicle stalls, abandon it immediately and get to higher ground.
- If your vehicle is trapped in rapidly moving water, stay in the vehicle. If the water is rising inside the vehicle, seek refuge on the roof.
After: - Stay informed. Stay tuned to local news for information on road conditions. Pay attention to authorities for information and instructions. Return home only when authorities say it is safe.
- Avoid floodwaters. Standing water can hide many dangers including toxins and chemicals. There may be sharp objects or the road could have collapsed.
- Inspect home damage. Inspect foundations for cracks or other damage. Stay out of buildings if flood waters remain around the building. When entering buildings, use extreme caution.
- Use generators outdoors. Never use a generator inside.
- Clean safely. Dry out your home as soon as possible to prevent mold. Make sure you are wearing goggles, long-sleeved shirt, protective gloves, boots, pants, and a respirator mask to protect you from mold damage. Throw away unsafe food.
- Document the damage. Before making repairs to your home, take photographs and prepare a detailed inventory of all damaged property.
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Dangerous rip currents and rough surf are expected Tuesday through Thursday from the storm. Please learn the dangers of rip currents and how to protect yourself. If caught in a rip current...know your options:- Relax, rip currents don’t pull you under.
- Don’t swim against the current.
- You may be able to escape by swimming out of the current in a direction following the shoreline, or toward breaking waves, then at an angle toward the beach.
- You may be able to escape by floating or treading water if the current circulates back toward shore.
- If you feel you will be unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself. If you need help, yell and wave for assistance.
If you see someone in trouble:Don’t become a victim while trying to help someone else! Many people have died trying to rescue rip current victims. - Get help from a lifeguard.
- If a lifeguard is not present, call 9-1-1, then try to direct the victim to swim following the shoreline to escape.
- If possible, throw the rip current victim something that floats.
- Never enter the water without a flotation device.
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The Flood Inundation Mapping and Alert Network (FIMAN) - The Flood Inundation Mapping and Alert Network (FIMAN) provides rain and river gage data, flood inundation maps, flooding impacts and alerts in real-time.
Flood NC - North Carolina's flood information portal allows you to learn about your flood risk, potential insurance rates, flood mitigation opportunities and the location of flood warning sites near you.
Flood Risk Information System (FRIS) - The Flood Risk Information System allows residents to view floodmaps, determine flood risk, and get a flood insurance estimate for your property.
Southeast River Forecast Center - The National Weather Service's Southeast River Forecast Center monitors river gauges and flooding conditions across several southeastern states.
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