Hurricane opened residential, business eyes to big-picture

June 01-- Jun. 1--New Bern residents have long been told how to prepare for a hurricane.

But, there had not been a storm in recent memory to rival what Hurricane Florence and her massive storm surge did to the area, in particular the downtown business and historical residential district.

It brought a new reality -- an aftermath.

With a new hurricane season at hand and the Florence anniversary not far away, residents and businesses continue to rebound economically and emotionally.

Lessons learned abound -- making detailed plans for preparation and aftermath, safeguarding precious items and important papers and updating documents such as insurance policies.

Residents also talk about the need for better, more thorough communication and information, both on a personal and neighborhood level and from local government. The city of New Bern has had ongoing discussion and worked on issues following the storm, as have neighborhood homeowners associations.

And, of course, there have been proactive reactions with physical and cosmetic improvements.

In the case of the 175 household members of the Downtown Residents Homeowners Association, or HDRA, there are additional challenges due to the nature of the homes being historic.

There was severe storm surge from the Neuse River and flooding from backed-up storm drains caused by the relentless rain. There was also extensive wind damage in an area known for its tall, magnificent trees.

"Virtually everybody in the first few blocks from the Neuse (River) got damage. A number of people had to move out and some have returned and some haven't," said George Evans, president of HDRA. "Those that have moved back have often moved back where construction is not 100 percent complete."

Evans said added issues include having restorations and repairs approved under the restrictions by the Historic Preservation Commission.

"That process did get streamlined a little bit, but there have still been a lot of bumps in the road," he said.

Homeowners have also had problems with insurance companies and an additional challenge has been finding contractors who are skilled in historic restoration projects.

"You can't hire just any old contractor," Evans said. "And, you have to convince an insurance company that it has to be done a certain way."

The majority of the houses in the district are 50-to-75 years old and they range up to 200-years-old.

They face the same problems nine months later as do all those impacted by the storm.

"People are still waiting on contractors," he said. "The flooring gets fixed, but maybe the plumber is not there yet. A lot of people's schedules have to coordinate. Everybody is so busy that you have to wait in line. And, some contractors are not as on the level as others. But people have worked through it although it has been a long struggle."

The hardships come on many levels.

"It is hard on people's finances and it is hard on people's moral to have to be uprooted and have to rebuild your house over the period of nine or 10 months or a year," Evans said. "It is one thing to have to leave town for a few days while the storm blows through and it is quite another to come home and not only have to make repairs, but have to move."

The plight of the community includes local government.

"Some of our members are working together to coordinate better with local government to be sure if we have a weather-related disaster, that there is better communication," he said.

Those issues include street openings and closings, access to property to make repairs and a better understanding of logistical situations with gas and electric meters.

"They came and took people's meters without really explaining what the next step was," Evans said. "The city did a great job of protecting the property downtown that people weren't living in. The downside was people sometimes had trouble getting their contractors in. But, as a whole, I think you have to give the city credit for tackling a big problem."

The HDRA members and other groups have discussed the need for a better online single-source information centers by local government.

"The bottom line is we have had a lot of people who have had a very difficult year -- financially, convenience-wise and mental stress," he said. "But most of our members are happy to be living in a neighborhood with sidewalks and front porches and they are committed to making it better than it ever was. Except for September of 2018, downtown is a great place to live."

The resolve is apparent in the community.

George Oliver, an attorney who has worked with storm victims and their claims, was himself a hard-hit home-owner, with both water and wind causing massive damage to the family's Historic District home and adjacent garage and apartment.

He had finished nearly five years of historic restoration a month before the storm, much of which was washed away. The family lived in a rental house until January and moved back home, while work continues.

"We hope to have it done by the year anniversary (Sept. 13)," he said.

The house is slated to be on a state homes tour Sept. 15.

A major lesson learned was his home and content coverage.

"I learned a lot about insurance the hard way," he said. "We did not have content coverage (with flood insurance.) For less than $120 I could get $100,000 in content insurance and we did not have that."

He also learned particulars such as the apartment above the garage must have a separate policy.

"A lot of people don't realize those things," Oliver said. "They really need to pay attention to what kind of coverage they have. That is the only way you build back, if you have coverage."

He has since filled in the swimming pool, raised all the electrical equipment such as heating and AC units, designed large wooden panels for the porch and new garage doors to allow water flow instead of containment.

Maria and John Choe had been planning a move to a new downtown condo, putting their Craven Street home on the market the Monday before the storm.

The surge did not get into the home, but it sustained water inflow in the basement, crawl spaces and garage, where four feet rushed in.

They put a "Band-Aid" on the damages and continued living there.

They will fill in the basement, install flood vents around the house and also elevate all heat and air conditioning main units.

Maria's advice is to move more personal, sentimental items. In her case it was the books that she read to her children and other mementos that were all lost.

"I would have done more homework," she said of preparation for the before and after. "And, don't procrastinate, because when you are under stress, you don't think of everything."

Personal education is also important, because another Florence could be down the road.

"I have also been very proactive about learning about climate change and severe weather," she said. "It is something long-term that will affect the coast."

She also advocates for better information and communications and is involved in a grassroots New Bern group -- CARE -- Citizens Advocating Resiliency and Education.

"It is people throughout the city coming together and lobbying for a resiliency plan for New Bern," she said. "We formed right after the hurricane. We felt we needed to form a footprint, learning more about issues that affect our neighborhood. You can't prevent hurricanes from coming, but you can be better prepared and government can be better prepared."

The New Bern downtown business district was also slammed by storm surge and it continues to recover, factored by the loss of the New Bern Riverside Convention Center and the DoubleTree by Hilton. Those are the cornerstone centers for visitors and activities on the waterfront. The convention center is slated to reopen in September and is again booking for October and beyond, while the hotel situation is not as clear. The city has sent a letter to the hotel owners to make the building safe and secure.

Danny Batten, head of the Downtown Business Council of the New Bern Area Chamber of Commerce, said a full business recovery is dependent on those two entities.

Some convention center business won't return without a supporting hotel, which also had overflow convention hall space.

The downtown merchants remain dependent on the trickle-down traffic from those sites.

"All of our businesses are going to be impacted without the convention center and our largest hotel," Batten said. "Until all of that reopens, we are working with one hand tied behind our back. It is going to continue. When you talk to the businesses, most of them feel lucky that we have as many people coming downtown as we do. But we are all 10 to 20 percent down and that is not going to change this year."

Issues of having enough insurance again surfaced near the top for lessons learned.

Batten advises not to let insurance policies auto-renew, but instead review them each year.

"In our case, we hadn't really updated our policy since 2011, but our business had grown quite a bit," he said of Surf, Wind and Fire on Middle Street.

"I think a lot of businesses were under-insured. It is important to change your policy according to the growth of your business."

Many businesses had to relocate and others had to find temporary areas to keep their inventory during repairs.

In Batten's case, the business remained open, minus 1,800-square-feet that is still under repair.

"We are keeping a note of all temporary warehouse space, because if another storm is on track, I have to empty my store and I need a place to keep all that," he said. "Be prepared to empty your business on a short notice. If you are retail, you need to be prepared to do something with your merchandise. That is your most important asset."

Charlie Hall can be reached at 252-635-5667 or 252-259-7585, or [email protected]. Follow him on Facebook at Charlie Hall.

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