Topics Related to Emergency Management

During and after disasters, to make sure all survivors have somewhere safe to stay, emergency managers open shelters. The need for shelters, medical support and supplies for impacted areas was great after Hurricane Helene hit Western NC. This blog highlights some of the work done and the partnerships that helped provide much needed relief in the wake of the powerful storm.

During an emergency, maintaining open communication networks is imperative. In the first several days of Hurricane Helene response, telecommunicators and first response teams had to cope with a deluge of 911 calls and interruptions in cellular networks. SERT immediately set about restoring communications.

Even before Hurricane Helene reached North Carolina, SERT Swift Water Rescue and Urban Search and Rescue teams were stationed in Western NC, ready to deploy when called.

Community Emergency Response Team volunteers have logged more than 3,500 hours during Hurricane Helene response in North Carolina.

Some of the key resources that the 24-Hour Watch coordinates are the tactical dispatcher program, which provides dispatchers to large events that backfill local 911 centers, and skilled communications professionals that can set up complex radio systems and troubleshoot and repair issues. The 24-Hour Watch is ready to meet the need statewide, whatever it may be. Outside of communications, the 24-Hour Watch receives requests and dispatches specialized state resources such as the Hazardous Materials Regional Response Teams (NCRRT), the Helo-Aquatic Rescue Team (NCHART), the Urban Search and Rescue Teams and Swift Water Rescue Teams, among others. The 24-Hour Watch is also an approved entity to push Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) messages to the public. 

Knowing that disaster sheltering in Warren County was a gap in capability, Director Tucker went in 2021 to the North Carolina Emergency Management Association’s conference and talked to other emergency managers about sheltering to learn all he could as he made his plans

November not only marks the midpoint for football season, but it is also when the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) kicks off Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month.

Whether its storm surge along the coast caused by a tropical storm or riverine flooding in the mountains, across North Carolina, no one is immune to threats of flooding. Here are some tips on how to prepare.

Intended to help young women explore careers in emergency management and public safety, HERricane welcomed 26 participants ranging from ninth grade to early college to an action-packed week of career exploration, skill building and networking.