Planning, coordination of efforts
and services starts early on local level
By Becky Long
Publisher
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst may be cliche, but for local officials, law enforcement and emergency workers it was important to get ahead of dangerous scenarios tropical storm Helene might create here. In the end, with the exception of government and business closings, power outages, lack of cellphone service and Internet, for the most part Clay County was spared.
At the onset of warnings of Tropical Storm Helene which carried a forecast of winds of up to 70 mph and flooding to Clay and surrounding counties, an Emergency Operations Center was set up Thursday at the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Mark Buchanan said his department was one of many that participated in what he described as a “comprehensive inter-agency response to tropical storm Helene.
The response team included representatives from Clay County’s Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Management director, Fire & Rescue, county manager, chairman of the board of commissioners, fire marshall, 911 director, health department, schools, Department of Social Services and senior center. Personnel with the N.C. Department of Transportation, N.C. Highway Patrol and the U.S. Forest Service also participated with the Emergency Operations Center.
“The purpose of this Emergency Operations Center was to monitor the developing weather, establish emergency communications, inventory and make ready resources, keep the citizenry informed and advised, issue and make notification of evacuation orders, make ready and activate evacuation shelter(s) and dispatch emergency personnel when needed, etc.,” said Buchanan.
County Commission Chairman Rob Peck was among coordinators monitoring the weather and its potential impact.
“As the forecast continued to develop and the threat of severe weather to the area became more likely, a State of Emergency was declared for Clay County and the Town of Hayesville. The State of Emergency was drafted Thursday morning and went into effect at 12 p.m. that day,” Peck explained. “ The State of Emergency allowed the county to better coordinate with state and federal authorities in the event additional resources became needed both during and after the storm. It also allowed us to fully implement the Clay County Emergency Operations Plan. At the same time an Emergency Operations Center was set up at that Clay County Sheriff’s Office. The EOC was fully staffed with Emergency Management and public safety personnel from multiple organizations, including the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Clay County EM/EMS, Clay County 911 and Clay County Fire and Rescue.”
Emergency shelter opens
“Thursday evening, while at the EOC, the decision was made to open an emergency shelter at the Clay County Senior Center which is one of our two American Red Cross certified shelters. The shelter opened at 7 p.m.,” Peck said. “Simultaneously, the Brasstown Community Center, our other approved facility, was put on standby if additional shelter was needed. These decisions were in anticipation of mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders which ultimately soon followed. These decisions were all made out of an abundance of caution and preemptively based on the continued forecast of devastating rain and winds and subsequent flooding.
“From the initial planning stages till the execution of our emergency orders, leadership was focused on minimizing the loss of lives and property. Our proactive measures were meant to diminish the need for rescue and recovery of the most flood prone and susceptible areas of the county so resources could be utilized in other areas and capacities,” Peck said. “Due to the late more eastward track of the storm, Clay County was spared the devastating effects of Helene. Thankfully, many of the measures put in place did not need to be utilized. Friday morning the decision to close the shelter was made and resources initially requested by Emergency Management were canceled so those assets could be moved east to the areas ravaged by the storm.”
911 service down
On Friday around 12:30 p.m. Buchanan said Clay County’s 911 system went down throughout western North Carolina. “All 911 calls to Clay County were subsequently routed directly to Johnston County, which is located just southeast of Raleigh,” he said. “Once Johnston County received Clay County’s 911 calls, they used the statewide VIPER radio system to relay the information to Clay County’s 911 to be dispatched out to First Responders.”
Impact on grocery store
Ingles distribution center in Black Mountain and store operations in many areas were affected by the storm, according to a post on Ingles corporate Facebook page. Fortunately, in Hayesville supplies have been stable, but customers were not able to use credit or debit card services because the store’s server is down.
“As soon as the storm hit, it knocked out everything to do with cards,” Store Manager Greg Hughes said. “Asheville is our main source.”
Ingles distribution center was damaged by flood and Hughes said a lot of the trucks were damaged or washed away. “That is our only distribution center,” he said.
Moving forward, Hughes said, “We are reaching out to other companies for other merchandise. We’re getting products from local suppliers. Asheville is working tirelessly to get things back to normal as soon as possible.”
As far as Ingles gas station, Hughes said so far, there has been no issue with gas supplies.
The aftermath
Following the passing of the storm, coordination efforts and planning will be reviewed by county government and emergency personnel.
“Currently, an analysis of our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to our Emergency Management planning and preparation continues in advance of potential future emergency and public safety events,” Peck said. “We also are working hard to help address to the extent possible the ongoing lack of telecommunications resulting from the storm and the effect this has on daily operating procedures and activities of county government, local businesses and our residents. Working with partners, we have secured a Verizon Rapid Response Portable Cell Tower and are also waiting the deployment of StarlinkSystems from FEMA.”
Peck expressed gratitude to all involved in the efforts and empathy to our neighbors in storm ravaged Asheville and outlying areas for what they are going through.
“The Clay County Board of Commissioners is extremely thankful and blessed for the cooperation and coordination of all of our departments and other local agencies throughout the course of these events. While no amount of planning could possibly prevent the destruction of Helene, leadership will continue to do our best to ensure the safety of our county,” he said. “We will continue to look for ways to help our neighbors east of us and encourage you to donate if able to one of the local organizations looking to get vital supplies and necessities to the storm victims. Most importantly, we ask that you join us in continuing to pray for all those so deeply affected by Helene as well as all those working tirelessly to help in the rescue and recovery. Through it all, we have witnessed the greatness of our citizens as they come together spreading hope through their kindness and charity to the suffering. For this we thank you.”