Tag Archive for: #hendersonvanceemergencyoperations

H-V Emergency Operations

Vance County Reaches 2,000+ Total, 592 Active COVID Cases

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Information courtesy Director Brian Short, Henderson-Vance Co. Emergency Operations

Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations released the following information on the spread of COVID-19:

As of this morning, the total number of confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Vance County is 2,010.

Of those 2,010 cases, 1,827 are associated with community spread, 58 are associated with Pelican Health of Henderson, 51 are associated with Kerr Lake Nursing Home (two of which are still active), 73 are associated with Senior Citizens Nursing Home (four of which are still active) and one is associated with Alliance Rehabilitative Care.

These numbers also include the 61 individuals who have tragically lost their lives to this illness in Vance County.

A total of 1,357 individuals have now been released from isolation, and 22 more remain hospitalized.

As of this morning, we have 592 known active cases of COVID-19 in Vance County. It is still very likely that our cases will continue to increase over the days and weeks ahead. At this time, our coordinated response posture remains the same and we are not altering our recommendations to the general public.

Testing is ongoing through Maria Parham Health, Granville Vance Public Health and private institutions.

There are currently 410,527 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in North Carolina, with 2,440 currently hospitalized and thus far 5,661 deaths. Please visit the NC Department of Health and Human Services Coronavirus statistics page at the following link to stay current on the number of cases in our state: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/covid-19-case-count-nc

Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations is monitoring this event very closely and will continue to issue informational releases as the situation develops.

Hurricane Isaias

Hurricane Isaias Has Potential to Impact Local Area Beginning Monday Morning

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

From Brian Short, director of Henderson-Vance Emergency Operations:

While Hurricane Isaias, at this point, is expected to be mainly a coastal event, it is still days away and a slight jog to the left could change our local level of impact significantly. Isaias is also expected to reach category 2 status prior to impact. At its current forward speed, we could begin to feel the impacts of the storm as soon as early Monday morning.

Henderson-Vance Emergency Operations has been monitoring this system for the past few days with great interest and will continue to do so going forward. Everyone is encouraged to continue to watch this storm closely and to begin basic preparedness activities if they have not already done so.

Today, we began our pre-storm activities and will escalate them over the coming days, implementing certain emergency protective measures if and when they are needed.

Keep in mind that we are now entering peak hurricane season, and the tropics have already been very active. The time to prepare is now and not when the winds begin to blow.

In addition to non-perishable food and water, hurricane emergency supply kits should include:

• First-aid kit
• Weather radio and batteries
• Prescription medicines
• Sleeping bag or blankets
• Changes of clothes
• Hygiene items such as toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and deodorant
• Cash
• Pet supplies including food, water, bedding, leashes, muzzle and vaccination records.

If you live in a storm surge hurricane evacuation zone or if you’re in a home that would be unsafe during a hurricane, figure out where you’d go and how you’d get there if told to evacuate.

We will continue to issue additional updates as they are received or our situation changes.

Please follow Vance County Emergency Operations on Facebook to stay informed on current preparedness efforts and other storm-related information.

More information on severe weather and hurricane preparedness is located at www.ReadyNC.org.

National Weather Service

Hurricane Preparedness Week: Complete Your Written Hurricane Plan

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-Information courtesy Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations

THIS WEEK IS NORTH CAROLINA’S HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS WEEK

All week long, the National Weather Service has issued informative messages to help you prepare for the hurricane season. Today’s topic, the final in the series for this year’s hurricane preparedness week, is complete your written hurricane plan.

The time to prepare for a hurricane is before the season begins – when you have the time and are not under pressure. If you wait until a hurricane is on your doorstep, the odds are that you will be under duress and will make the wrong decisions. Take the time now to write down your hurricane plan. Know where you will ride out the storm and get your supplies now. You don’t want to be standing in long lines when a hurricane warning is issued. Those supplies that you need will probably be sold out by the time you reach the front of the line.

Being prepared, before a hurricane threatens, makes you resilient to the hurricane impacts of wind and water. It will mean the difference between being a hurricane victim and a hurricane survivor.

Here are some things to know about completing a written hurricane plan:

• Writing down your plan will ensure you don’t make mistakes when faced with an emergency.

• Document all of your valuables and possessions with a camera or video camera well before the storm.

• Gather all vital documents, like passports and medical records, and put them somewhere that you can quickly access.

• Make planning and preparedness a family affair to ensure everyone knows what to do.

• Don’t forget to include your pets in your plan.

• Every plan should include gathering non-perishable emergency supplies and assembling a disaster supply kit.

• Share your plan with others in your family, and have an out-of-state friend as a family contact who knows your plan and where you will go during a disaster, so all your family members have a single point of contact.

To make developing your family emergency plan easy, be sure to download a free template that is available online at https://readync.org.

For more information about hurricane preparedness, please visit the following web sites:

• https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare

• https://www.readync.org

H-V Emergency Operations

Short: Unpredictability of Recent Hurricanes Shows Need for Early Preparations

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Brian K. Short, director of emergency operations for Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations, was on Thursday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss North Carolina’s upcoming 2019 hurricane season.

All week long, WIZS, in conjunction with NC Hurricane Preparedness Week, has brought listeners and online viewers hurricane safety tips courtesy Short and the Emergency Operations Center.

Short said now is the best time to prepare for hurricane season, which begins June 1 and ends November 30.

“It is never too early to make sure you and your family will be taken care of when disaster strikes,” Short proclaimed.

While the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season is forecast to be slightly below average due to an expected weak El Nino effect, Short said it only takes one storm to wreak havoc on a community.

“It only takes one hurricane for your area to have a disaster with a lasting impact for months or even years.”

Short, who has worked with hurricane preparation and cleanup efforts for 29 years, pointed to recent hurricanes Florence and Michael as examples of how unpredictable storms can be.

“With Florence, the local area fared better than we thought; Michael ended up being a little worse than we expected,” said Short. “It goes to show that you can never let your guard down with these storms. You always have to be vigilant.”

Of all the safety tips and suggestions, Short believes the most important is to have at least a 72 hour supply of the essentials for all family members in your household, and to keep those essentials in a water-tight container.

Essentials include drinkable water, medications, eyeglasses, non-perishable food items, flashlights, batteries, first aid supplies and important home and health/insurance documents. With water, specifically, Short recommends three gallons per person, per day for three days.

Many people already have these items in their home, Short stated; it’s often a matter of getting all supplies together in one place and properly securing them against storm or water damage.

“If we are significantly impacted by a storm, we won’t be the only area nearby affected. If that is the case, Vance County and North Carolina resources will be spread thin and it may take at least that long [three days] for help to reach you. We ask you to be as self-sustainable as you can possibly be to protect yourself, your family and emergency personnel,” Short urged.

For additional tips on hurricane preparations and to stay up-to-date on the latest weather developments, please visit ReadyNC.org or https://www.vancecounty.org/em.

Smartphone users can also download a free app at https://www.readync.org/EN/DOWNLOADAPP.html. This app provides information regarding storm preparedness as well as current road conditions, local weather, power outages and storm shelters.

To hear the Town Talk interview with Brian Short in its entirety, click here.

National Weather Service

Vance Co. Tornado Not Confirmed by Local Officials; No Damage Reported

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Sunday at 6:06 p.m., WIZS received a tornado warning for Vance County from the National Weather Service. At one point, the radar-indicated tornado was forecast to pass very near downtown Henderson.

On Monday, Brian Short, director of Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations, told WIZS News that there was no confirmed touchdown of a tornado or any damage reported. According to Short, callers to the 911 center indicated the tornado passed north of town and was seen along mile markers 214 and 215, off I-85.

A video of the tornado, captured on cell phone, has been posted to Facebook and can be viewed on WIZS’ Facebook page.