Hurricane Florence Targets Major East Coast Logging Operations in NC

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-Press Release, North Carolina Loggers Association

As Hurricane Florence’s wind speeds currently surpass 130 mph, North Carolina loggers are bracing for the hurricane expected to make landfall on the Carolina coast Thursday night as a Category 4 or 5 storm. Major lumber and paper mills powering the state’s $29.4 billion dollar forestry business, along with the loggers harvesting its abundant natural resource, currently lie directly in its path.

Recent massive rainstorms across the state the past month have already slowed logging operations. Hurricane Florence is expected to compound the issue.

North Carolina has about 18.8 million acres of timberland. According to North Carolina State University, the forest products community leads the manufacturing sector within the state. Forest products impact the state’s economy, with more than 1,000 companies directly contributing to North Carolina’s forest industry that employs more than 70,000 individuals.

Photo of Brett McHenry with Brett McHenry’s Logging (Photo Credit Ed Lallo)

“It’s essential, first and foremost, for our loggers and mill operators to be out of harms way by the time the storm hits land,” said Ewell Smith, Executive Director of the Carolina Loggers Association, a non-profit corporation organized to promote logging professionalism and business opportunities for the state’s forest products network. “Currently, the loggers are in the process of securing job sites and bringing in as many logs as possible to the mills to keep them going in the wake of the storm. As one of the state’s largest business sectors vital to our economy, any major disruption in production will definitely create a significant economic ripple for small and large businesses alike.”

According to Smith, the wood and paper mills are just the tip of usage for forestry products. There are numerous other products that are dependent on the same resource and will be impacted from the storm; glass on cell phones, toothpaste, gum for chewing and gluing, as well as America’s favorite McDonalds McFlurry with Oreo Cookies.

Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, along with his counterparts in South Carolina and Virginia, has already declared a state of emergency. The governor has signed an executive order that waives truck weight limits for “crops ready to be harvested” which includes timber.

The office of North Carolina’s Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is continuing to watch the path of Hurricane Florence that has the potential to be a powerful and devastating storm.

“Our state has witnessed the destructive effects of hurricane-force winds and heavy rains in the past, so we know we need to be prepared,” said the Agriculture Commissioner. “Farmers and timber owners need to review their emergency plans, stock up on supplies, compile emergency contact information and monitor weather updates to keep their families safe. We are prepared to work with our state and local partners to help our agriculture and forestry community if the need arises.”

Sitting 116 miles from the coast, Brett McHenry Logging in Wilson, NC has been hit by multiple storms in the past. “Wilson’s my community,” said owner Brett McHenry. “This will definitely be the worst storm we’ve ever had to prepare for. We just finished cutting and now we’re picking up any logs and squaring up our sites and equipment.”

According to Smith, “Hurricane Florence has the potential to bring a vast amount of rain and wind,” he said. “Flooded and saturated lands only compound the issues with the increased safety risks for our loggers while cleaning up fallen trees. Again the number one issue right now is for our logging and forestry communities, as well as people living in wooded areas, to get out of harm’s way of Hurricane Florence.”

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Contact: Ewell Smith

504-884-4585 esmith@ncloggers.com

The CLA is a nonprofit corporation organized to promote professionalism and business opportunities for members. The CLA is a 501(c)(6) non-profit business league. CLA focuses on regional, state and national business issues

Ewell Smith was the former Executive Director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board who has weathered four disastrous hurricanes including Hurricane Katrina.

Granville County Logo

Granville Co. Offices To Close at 12:30 p.m., Thurs. Sept. 13

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-Information courtesy Michael S. Felts, Granville County Manager

As a precaution, Granville County Government declared a State of Emergency effective this morning, September 12, 2018.  This is a measure that allows government officials to enact specific emergency plans and to take additional measures to move resources more freely to ensure the safety of our citizens.

In order to allow Granville County employees time to take care of their personal property and prepare for the potential impacts of this storm, Granville County offices will close at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 13 and will remain closed on Friday, September 14 due to impending inclement weather. The libraries will close on Saturday and Sunday also.

The 5 a.m. advisory now indicates the storm may come on shore at the NC/SC border and track along our southern NC border or just south of the border. A word of caution at this point, though….do not get confident of a lesser impact to our area.

Granville County Logo

Granville Co. Announces Date Changes for Committee Meetings

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-Information courtesy Debra A. Weary, Clerk to the Board, County of Granville

CHANGE OF MEETING DATES DUE TO HURRICANE FLORENCE

Animal Control Advisory Committee

Will meet Thursday, October 11 at 7 p.m. at the Granville County Expo Center (4185 Highway 15 South, Oxford) instead of Thursday, September 13.

Granville County Library Board of Trustees

Will meet Thursday, September 20 at 4:30 p.m. at the Richard H. Thornton Library (210 Main Street, Oxford) instead of Thursday, September 13.

Granville County Veterans Affairs  Committee

Will meet Tuesday, October 2 at 7 p.m. at the Granville County Expo Center (4185 Highway 15 South, Oxford) instead of Tuesday, September 18.

This is the number for the Granville County Command Center:

Granville County Emergency Management:  919-603-1310

The link to our website is below with additional information regarding the storm.

https://www.granvillecounty.org/residents/emergency-services/storm-preparedness/

Granville County Chamber of Commerce

List of Upcoming Granville Chamber Events Postponed/Canceled

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— courtesy Granville County Chamber of Commerce | Ginnie Currin, Executive Director ~ 919-693-6125 ~ ginnie@granville-chamber.com

Upcoming Chamber Events postponed or canceled due to the hurricane forecast:

September 13; 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. POSTPONED

ALIVE AFTER FIVE

Jim Quick and Coastline Band

Downtown Oxford parking lot @ Main and Littlejohn St., Oxford

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September 14; 7:45 a.m. CANCELED

SUNRISE FORUM @ THE HELP CENTER

125 Juniper Court, Oxford (Turn off  Oxford Loop, between George’s and McDonald’s; go to the back/end of Juniper Court and look for The Help Center signage.)

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September 18; 8 a.m. POSTPONED

Chamber Ambassadors’ Meeting

Chamber Boardroom

124 Hillsboro St., Oxford

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September 18; 12 p.m. POSTPONED

LUNCH and LEARN ~ SHOP SMALL/SHOP GRANVILLE

Chamber Boardroom; 124 Hillsboro St., Oxford

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Please call the Chamber office at 919-693-6125 or email wanda@granville-chamber.com with any questions or concerns. Details regarding events that have been postponed will be released when available.

City of Oxford Declares State of Emergency

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-Information courtesy Cynthia Bowen, City Clerk, City of Oxford

DECLARATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY

WHEREAS, in order to prepare for possible flooding and damage as a result of Hurricane Florence; and

WHEREAS, as a result of the above-described disaster, I have determined that there is an imminent threat of, or existing conditions have caused or will cause, widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property, and public safety authorities will be unable to maintain public order or afford adequate protection for lives or property; and

WHEREAS, declaring a State of Emergency and imposing the restrictions and prohibitions ordered herein is necessary to maintain order and protect public health, safety, and welfare, and to secure property.

NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the authority vested in me as the Mayor of the City of Oxford under Article 1A of Chapter 166A of the North Carolina General Statutes and Chapter 7: Civil Defense and Emergency Preparedness of the City of Oxford Code of Ordinances:

Section 1. A State of Emergency is hereby declared within the jurisdiction of the City of Oxford.

Section 2. The emergency area covered by this state of emergency shall be all the area within the Jurisdiction of the City of Oxford.

Section 3. I hereby order all City law enforcement officers and employees and all other emergency management personnel subject to our control to cooperate in the enforcement and implementation of the provisions of this Declaration, all applicable local ordinances, state and federal laws, and the City of Oxford Emergency Operations Plan.

Section 4. I hereby order this declaration: (a) to be distributed to the news media and other organizations calculated to bring its contents to the attention of the general public; (b) to be filed with the Clerk to the Oxford Board of Commissioners and (c) to be distributed to others as necessary to ensure proper implementation of this declaration.

Section 5. This declaration shall take effect on September 12, 2018, at 1 p.m. and shall remain in effect until modified or rescinded.

DECLARED this the 12 Day of September 2018 at 1 p.m.

Jacqueline vdH Sergent, Mayor

ATTEST:

Cynthia Bowen, City Clerk

All Campuses of Vance-Granville Community College Closed Sept. 13-16

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-Information courtesy Vance-Granville Community College

Due to the threat of inclement weather, all campuses of Vance-Granville Community College will be closed and all classes and activities are canceled Thursday through Sunday, September 13-16.

Granville County Public Schools

Granville Co. Schools Closed Sept. 13 & 14; Northern Granville Middle Designated as Shelter

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-Information courtesy Dr. Stan Winborne, Public Information Officer, Granville County Public Schools

Forecasts for Hurricane Florence continue to show a significant threat to our area in the coming days.  After consultation with Emergency Management officials, we have decided to cancel school for all students and staff for Thursday, September 13 and Friday, September 14. Also, all after-school activities and athletics have been canceled for Wednesday, September 12.  Our after-school programs will close at 5 p.m.

We realize that the timing and track of the storm may change, but we are making this decision with an abundance of caution, and to allow our families and employees adequate time to prepare for what may come with the storm.

Please know that Granville County Emergency Management has designated Northern Granville Middle School as an official public shelter.  They recommend that this shelter ONLY be used as a last resort.

Granville County Emergency Management staff encourage anyone who feels unsafe to stay in their own residence to seek shelter with friends and family FIRST. If available, and individuals can afford it, they also recommend seeking shelter at a hotel or similar accommodation rather than staying at the public shelter. Due to the magnitude of the storm’s predicted impacts on our state, there are extremely limited resources to support a public shelter and, at best, they can only guarantee a solid roof overhead.

If you have no other alternative but to come to the public shelter, Emergency Management staff recommend that you bring sleeping bags, pillows, clothing, personal medical needs/medications, personal hygiene items, special dietary items, and other personal comfort items for each member of your family that may come to the shelter. Again, they highly recommend sheltering in place, at your own home if you feel it is substantial enough; however, before coming to a public shelter, they encourage you to seek shelter with friends and/or family or, if affordable, in a hotel.

Finally, if you experience power outages, please contact your electric company provider.  Please only call 911 in the case of a true emergency.

We will send any future updates on our school calendar as needed.  Thank you all and we hope you will stay safe in the coming days.

9-11 Pentagon Survivors Share Their Experience in Honor of Patriot Day

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In the midst of continuous Hurricane Florence coverage and updates, WIZS was honored to speak with two 9-11 survivors this Patriot Day.

Today marks the 17th anniversary of the day hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, VA and a field in Shanksville, PA. The 9-11 attacks killed 2,996 people, making it the deadliest foreign attack ever on U.S. soil.

Two survivors from the attack on the Pentagon, husband and wife David and Evelyn Woodson, were on Tuesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss their experience on that fateful day.

The Woodson’s were working in the Pentagon on the morning of September 11, 2001 – he with the U.S. Navy and she with the Marine Corp. “It was a regular Tuesday morning,” said David. “We got up like everyone else, got our coffee and went to work.”

David and Evelyn Woodson in the WIZS studio to share their experience as survivors of the 9-11 Pentagon attack.

Little did they know that hours later, 189 people would be killed in the Pentagon attack alone; 64 from American Airlines Flight 77 that crashed into the building.

According to David, Evelyn called him around 9:15 a.m. that morning to ask if he was near a television and had he seen what was going on in New York. At that time, David was in his office on the fifth floor and Evelyn was in the Pentagon’s clinic for a routine weekly physical.

David quickly found a group standing around a tv right before the second plane crashed into the World Trade Center. “When the second plane hit, everyone was glued to the screen. By that point, everyone knew we were under attack. It became quiet as we all watched in amazement, really.”

As David watched the horror unfold he remembers thinking that the Pentagon had always been a target in the past and that he and co-workers previously worried about bombings. “While I’m standing there contemplating that, I hear screams and yells coming through the corridor and a police officer said, ‘Everybody out, evacuate the building now!’”

“When I exited the building and turned around, I could tell the plane came in near my office and I worried about my staff and supervisors,” said David. “I was also waiting for Evelyn to come around the corner to know that she was safe.”

For her part, Evelyn said her thoughts evacuating the building were on her two children and how she could let them know she was alive in a time before the majority of people owned cell phones.

“You’re trained for this but never expect to have to use your training,” Evelyn said. “I suffer from PTSD because I came in the next day and you have all the bodies that they found lying in the middle of the courtyard covered with white tarp. It was very traumatic for me.”

In some ways, David believes returning to work immediately following the attack helped the couple regain a sense of normalcy. “It helped us to go back to work the next day and see the recovery efforts start immediately.”

When asked how they cope with such an experience, David responded “I think God has given me peace about this. It’s almost like someone breaks into your house and robs you of more than just your possessions. I’ve never had a feeling like that before.”

“It’s our faith in God that has gotten us through this.”

H-V Emergency Operations

Hurricane Florence Updates – Tues. Sept. 11

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Updated Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 12:30 p.m.

WIZS will be bringing you updates on Hurricane Florence as new information is received. Please check the WIZS website, Facebook page and listen live to WIZS 1450 AM and 100.1 FM for updates throughout the week. The latest briefing from the National Weather Service can be found any time by clicking here.

Information is provided courtesy Brian K. Short, director of Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations.

(Click here for WIZS audio of this Story.)

With Hurricane Florence now only a few days away from us, our preparation efforts are now in full swing. As you can see from the latest weather briefing from the National Weather Service, this is a powerful storm that is expected to bring tremendous rainfall and damaging winds to our area of NC.

Widespread power outages are likely due to falling trees and wind. There is tremendous potential for widespread flooding and flash flooding as well. At this time, we are anticipating the tropical storm force winds to reach us late Thursday evening, but that could certainly change as the system gets closer to us.

We will be having a responder briefing which will include City and County government personnel on the apparatus floor of Henderson Fire Department Station 1 located at 211 Dabney Drive in Henderson. The briefing will begin at 3 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday). Representatives from all responder agencies are strongly encouraged to attend.

Additionally, we are planning on recommending that a local Proclamation of a State of Emergency be put in place at the conclusion of tomorrows responder briefing. It will remain in place throughout the storm.

At this time we are planning to open a single, centrally located shelter at Eaton Jonson’s Middle School, located at 500 N. Beckford Drive in Henderson. We may adjust the opening time slightly as the storm gets closer to us but for now, we will open the shelter at 9 a.m. on Thursday. Below is a list of shelter items that every shelter occupant MUST bring with them to the shelter. We will do limited feeding at the shelter but will not be supplying personal items or any other items that occupants might have forgotten, so please refer to the list and read it carefully.

We are particularly concerned for residents who live in mobile/manufactured homes. We are expected to have tropical storm force winds in our area, which can cause significant damage, especially to smaller structures. We are therefore encouraging those residents who live in mobile homes to report to the shelter.

If you are a resident that does not have a way to the shelter, then please reach out to our office and we will do our best to arrange it with KARTS. They are willing to provide limited transportation services if anyone absolutely does not have another way to get there. We are encouraging residents who do not have transportation of their own to reach out to family members and neighbors first. This will ensure that they are available to those who absolutely do not have any other means of travel. If you have a need to transport a pet using KARTS, they will not transport it unless it is secured in an animal crate.

For those who have pets they wish to bring to the shelter, they must bring their pets to the Vance County Animal Shelter located on Brodie Road in Henderson. You will need to leave your pet there and then report to the general population shelter. You will be reunited with your pet after the storm. If you have a crate for your pet you must bring it with you to the shelter.

We will also be announcing our shelter openings utilizing our CODE RED community alert system, radio, print and social media, so please follow us on Facebook.

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to take the time to prepare before the storm’s arrival. There is still time, so please use the attached as a guide. Remember, if this is a significant impact across the state (and it is believed that will be the case,) it could take days for any significant help to reach us. Therefore we strongly encourage everyone to be 72 hours self- sufficient.

Further updates will be forwarded along as they are received.

NC Coop Extension

Area Farmers Advised to Make Storm Preps for Hurricane Florence

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-Information courtesy Paul McKenzie, Agricultural Extension Agent, Vance/Warren Counties, NC Cooperative Extension

The local office of NC Cooperative Extension is a great source of storm preparation information for local farmers. A few quick tips are compiled below, but be sure to call or visit one of the web links below for complete details.

  • Consider moving beehives temporarily if there is a risk they could topple over or be damaged by falling trees or limbs or by flooding. Take aid of King Green servicemen if you need help with felled trees. Make sure the hive lid is secured to the hive, possibly with ratchet straps or duct tape.

  • Produce growers should harvest as much as possible before the storm. Crops like tomatoes and melons may split after excessive rains, and leafy greens may suffer wind damage.

  • Make sure pesticides are stored securely, where they are safe from flooding and water damage.

  • Prepare your greenhouse for high winds. There is a strong probability that we will have tropical storm force winds in this area. At a minimum, keep it closed up and inflated, and you may want to remove the plastic completely.

  • If you have to use a backup generator to keep your farm in operation, be certain it is located in a well-ventilated area. Never use one in a basement or attached garage or other enclosed area.

  • Scout your farm carefully for equipment and materials that could become airborne during tropical storm force winds. Put them in a secure location.

  • Be careful not to overload extension cords that are running from a backup generator. An overloaded extension cord can start a fire.

  • If evacuation seems like a possibility, make sure you have a plan for your livestock.

As mentioned above, lots more details can be found at https://ncdisaster.ces.ncsu.edu or https://ncagr.gov/disaster, or by calling NC Cooperative Extension at 252-438-8188 (Vance) or 252-257-3640 (Warren).