Weathering the Storms: Improving North Carolina’s Ability to Respond

Sixty years ago, the United States was on the verge of entering the conflict in Vietnam. Marilyn Monroe married Joe DiMaggio. Godzilla premiered in Tokyo. And North Carolina experienced one of the worst weather-related disasters in its history.

2014 marks the 60th anniversary of Hurricane Hazel, a Category 4 storm at landfall that was one of the deadliest and costliest hurricanes to date. It caused 19 deaths, 200 injuries and an estimated $1.2 billion in property damage in North Carolina alone. With wind speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour, storm surge as high as a two-story building and a 2,000 mile path of destruction, Hurricane Hazel ruined or damaged 54,000 homes and structures in the tarheel state.

Yet, Hurricane Hazel was merely the first of many notable storms to wreak havoc on North Carolina’s towns and communities. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo made landfall in Charleston, S.C. as a Category 4 storm that remained powerful even as it traveled inland. By the time it reached Charlotte, it was downgraded to a tropical storm but its destructive winds caused seven deaths and left behind more than $1 billion in damages.

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The most infamous storm in recent history was Hurricane Floyd which made landfall at Cape Fear Sept. 16, 1999. The slow-moving storm dumped 7 to 20 inches of rain on much of eastern North Carolina causing more widespread flooding in areas that had received 15 inches of rain from Hurricane Dennis less than two weeks before. In fact, nearly every river basin in the eastern part of the state topped 500-year flood levels because of the back-to-back hurricanes. In all, Hurricane Floyd caused 52 deaths and $5.5 billion in damage destroying 7,000 homes and damaging 56,000 others.

Ten years ago, the back-to-back Hurricanes Frances and Ivan each dropped about 15 inches of rain in the North Carolina mountains. Record amounts of rain caused numerous landslides and toppled trees. Following Hurricane Frances, swiftwater rescue teams pulled more than 200 residents from flooded vehicles and homes.

“As a state, we have made major strides in the past 15 years in regard to emergency planning and preparedness,” said Mike Sprayberry, state Emergency Management director. “We have cultivated stronger partnerships, developed more comprehensive plans and created preparedness tools like the ReadyNC mobile app to help anyone in North Carolina plan, prepare and stay informed. It’s important to see where we have been to know how far North Carolina’s emergency management program has come.”

Hurricanes, tornadoes, landslides and floods will all continue to impact North Carolina. State and local emergency managers have learned from each event and use those lessons to improve planning and response capabilities. These improvements enhance the state and county’s ability to respond, keeping people safe and saving lives.