‘Not out of the woods yet': experts urge vigilance as peak hurricane season approaches

Pitt County emergency responders and weather experts on Tuesday encouraged residents to prepare their hurricane kits as the storm season approaches its peak and as a system developing in the Atlantic could impact eastern North Carolina.

Erik Heden, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Morehead City, said that hurricane season typically reaches its peak Sept. 10. He said that a five-day outlook is showing an 80 percent chance for a tropical cyclone to pick up in the Atlantic Ocean and a 40 percent for a separate system to develop off the coast of Africa.

The storm developing in the Atlantic northeast of the Lesser Antilles has a projected path that could see it hit the Carolinas according to a graphic Heden provided. The storm developing off the coast of Gambia could arc south into South America.

"The season's long," Heden said. "We're just about halfway through (and) have about three more months to go without having reached the peak. Not out of the woods yet."

The season so far has been quiet, Heden said, due in part to factors like dry air over the ocean and wind shear, which tears storms apart.

"With these factors in place, we just haven't had the environment for storms this year so far," Heden said. "We encourage people to take this lull in the season and finalize their hurricane plans."

A graphic showed that as of Aug. 4 the season's probability of being above average sits at 60 percent, down from May's prediction of a 65 percent chance of an above average storm season. Three named systems have developed since June: Tropical Storm Alex near the Yucatan Peninsula, Tropical Storm Bonnie off the coast of Africa and Tropical Storm Colin offshore of Savannah, Georgia.

On Tuesday the Eastern Healthcare Preparedness Coalition (EHPC) at ECU Health held a demonstration detailing what people should stock in their kits and services the hospital provides during extreme weather. EHPC serves 29 eastern North Carolina counties according to Ashlin Elliott, communications coordinator for ECU Health.

Chris Starbuck, a paramedic and director of operations for EHPC, said that residents should focus on planning and the hospital is addressing any gaps in their infrastructure to include fuel, water, food and communications.

"We try to mitigate those gaps by addressing the deficiencies, ordering extra fuel and supplies," Starbuck said. "We meet with leadership teams across the system to make sure they are ready as well."

EHPC engages in training with local emergency management partners. Kiplan Clemmons, ECU Health's director of emergency management, sits on the Pitt County EMS Oversight Committee.

A hurricane kit should include resources for families as well as pets, Starbuck said. That includes a gallon of water per person per day and a week's worth of necessary medication in their kits. Other items like a weather radio, protective equipment, cleaning supplies and activities for kids are essential for power outages and dealing with the after-effects of flooding.

"One question we get is that building a kit can always be very expensive, but you can buy these materials from the dollar store," Starbuck said. "It doesn't have to be expensive items. It doesn't have to be name brand items. It can just be what needs to be in your kit.

"If you don't have one of these kits, I would start making one today," Starbuck urged.

A tarp, trash bags and duct tape are also recommended to keep on hand, Starbuck said. Residents should also keep paint on hand to notify emergency services of their status, whether that's with a message on a rooftop or other visible structure when crews begin their mission.

Heden emphasized that in the event of severe storms residents should have a northern, southern and inland plan for evacuation. He said that impacts can occur well inland so just heading west won't always be the safest choice. More information on evacuation plans can be found online at weather.gov/mhx/hurricaneprep.

Among the resources provided by ECU Health and EHPC is a mobile unit which carries air conditioning units, tents and beds that can be transported to heavily effected areas and set up as a field hospital. Health care workers with the State Medical Assistance Team (SMAT) coordinate from the unit via Internet protocol phones which use a localized signal put out by the unit. Chris Cieszko, a paramedic who handles logistics for a SMAT team, said that the mobile hospital contains six tents in total which can be divvied into triage, major and minor spaces for staff and volunteers to treat patients.

Stephanie Seals, who handles planning, said that a mobile unit was used during Hurricane Dorian in 2019, which devastated parts of the Outer Banks. The unit was deployed to Ocracoke Island whose local clinic was destroyed when the area took the brunt of the storm's impact.

Seals said to check batteries in your kits and to keep extras on check, as well as to check expiration dates on perishable and non-perishable food.