-Press Release, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation
The State Bureau of Investigation and the Littleton Police Department have concluded their investigation into the deaths of three family members whose bodies were found June 9 at 1010 Kirkland St. They determined the deaths were a murder-suicide case. This is in agreement with the findings of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner which listed the manner of death for Charles Davis as suicide and homicide as the manner of death for Gladys Davis and Antonio Mills.
Littleton Police Department requested the SBI’s help after doing a welfare check at the Kirkland Street home. The officers had to force entry into the house where they found the bodies of 75-year-old Charles Davis, his wife, Gladys Davis, 76, and their grandson Antonio Mills, 41.
“The SBI did a thorough investigation into this tragic case,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony Jernigan. “Evidence conclusively pointed to a murder-suicide. I appreciate the work done by the Littleton Police Department and the SBI agents from the Northeastern District Office.”
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The Halifax EMC service area was spared by the changed storm path taken by Hurricane Florence. Due to pre-storm preparations and the diligent work of Halifax EMC’s operations crew, members were minimally impacted with less than 350 power outages, which were restored in most cases in less than 1 ½ hours. Halifax EMC was back to normal operations by Friday afternoon.
On Sunday, September 16, 2018, Halifax EMC dispatched seven line workers and equipment to assist Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative which serves members in Carteret, Craven, Jones and Onslow Counties. Currently, CCEC has 31,500 of 39,691 members out of service. The Halifax EMC crew is working in the Harker’s Island community of Carteret County to assist in power restoration.
“During times of disaster, cooperatives ban together to offer mutual aid to one another. It’s just part of our cooperative culture,” said Charles Guerry, executive vice president of Halifax EMC. “Halifax EMC is thankful that Hurricane Florence had minimal impact in our area and we are proud to have crew members who volunteered to help others in need.”
At this time, it is unknown as to how long our crew will be away; however, once the rains cease and flooding begins to subside, power restoration will move more quickly.
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The Saturday, September 22, 2018, “Gathering of Gardeners” workshop which was to be held at Buck Spring Park in Warren County has been canceled.
Any questions may be directed to Paul McKenzie at NC Cooperative Extension, Warren County at paul_mckenzie@ncsu.edu or by phone at 252-257-3640. We sincerely regret any inconvenience.
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-Press Release, NC Department of Information Technology
State Chief Information Officer Eric Boyette and State Chief Risk Officer Maria Thompson are urging North Carolinians to be cautious of cybercrime before, during, and after Hurricane Florence.
Cybercriminals take advantage of natural disasters such as hurricanes to solicit personal information illegally and to take advantage of vulnerable infrastructures, disaster victims and volunteers by phishing. Phishing is when a criminal sends out an email, text message, or even a phone call pretending to be a reputable and legitimate source in order to obtain personal information such as credit card and Social Security numbers.
“Be cautious and stay vigilant,” said State Chief Risk Officer Maria Thompson. “Let’s ensure one disaster does not lead to another. Phishing threats are real. Cybercriminals will use every tactic in their arsenal to deprive citizens of their information and ultimately their financial assets.”
Take these steps to prevent being taken advantage of by cybercriminals:
Carefully look at email and web addresses since cybercriminals will make them look as legitimate as possible, often using variations of spellings. The URL may have a different domain, such as .gov instead of .net.
Do not click on links in emails from anyone unless you know and have verified the sender of the email.
Take time to look at the sender’s email address. Do not click on any links until you are certain the organization is real. Check the organization’s website for its contact information and use sites such as www.charitynavigator.org to verify a charity organization.
Make sure all of your anti-virus software is up-to-date and you’ve enacted the anti-phishing software provided by your email client.
Phishing emails and phone calls may also try to pose as official disaster aid organizations such as FEMA. A true FEMA representative will never ask personal banking information, Social Security number, or registration number.
“We all need to be mindful of the value of the data we have and use every day,” said Eric Boyette, State Chief Information Officer and Secretary of the Department of Information Technology. “Too many people are vulnerable during natural disasters and it is imperative to take necessary precautions to protect yourself. Think of it as preparing an emergency kit for your personal data.”
For more information about the North Carolina Department of Information Technology, visit our website or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Flickr.
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The gardening public is invited to attend a “Gathering of Gardeners: Practical Strategies for Gardening in Challenging Times and Conditions” on September 22, 2018, 9 a.m. to noon. Gardeners in Warren County and surrounding areas can learn about straw bale gardening, rain barrels and more at this workshop sponsored by the Extension Master Gardener℠ volunteers.
Participants can also get their gardening questions answered from a panel of Master Gardener volunteers. The event will be held at Buck Spring Park near Lake Gaston, located at 217 Nathaniel Macon Dr. Registration is $10 in advance or $12 at the door. All the details are available at https://warren.ces.ncsu.edu/ or by calling 252-257-3640.
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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.
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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.
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-Information courtesy Tanya Evans, District Manager, Duke Energy
Duke Energy is looking for approximately 5,000 hotel rooms to house power restoration crews coming to the region to assist with storm restoration. There is a significant shortage of hotel rooms due to coastal evacuations. We anticipate many festivals and local events around the state will be canceled due to the weather.
My request is that you accelerate your decision to postpone or cancel these events to free up hotel rooms for power restoration crews. We are hoping that decisions will be made as soon as possible so we can begin deploying crews Thursday night near areas of expected significant damage. Thank you for your assistance.
-Tanya Evans
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-Information courtesy Kristen King, Clerk to the Board, Franklin County
ReadyNC.org has information about planning and preparing for emergencies plus specifics on the types of disasters and what to do during recovery. The app will also include shelter information if/when they are opened.
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