GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — The Piedmont Triad is getting ready as Tropical Storm Debby threatens to bring “catastrophic flooding” for portions of the southeastern U.S.
As of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Tropical Storm Debby is about 10 miles east of Savannah, Georgia, and about 70 miles southwest of Charlestown, South Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Forecasters expect tropical storm conditions to continue along the coast of South Carolina through Thursday night. Beginning early Wednesday, tropical storm conditions are expected to reach North Carolina.
Debby is expected to produce “potentially historic rainfall totals” of 10 to 20 inches with maximum amounts of 25 inches. This could bring “catastrophic flooding” to portions of the eastern half of South Carolina and southeast North Carolina through Friday.
Greensboro
In the City of Greensboro, departments have launched “proactive steps in anticipation of flash flooding.”
The Greensboro Water Resources Department has already deployed trailers of equipment to flood-prone areas, and crews are checking creeks and culverts that could be susceptible to debris buildup.
Transportation Department crews spent Tuesday getting equipment to high-priority sites, including South Elm-Eugene Street, Yanceyville Street near Revolution Mill, Pinecroft Road and Old Battleground Road.
To be ready for any potential downed trees, Parks and Recreation will be on call to clear trees as needed and the Solid Waste and Recycling Department is preparing its heavy equipment.
Should flooding impact traffic, the police department and local fire departments are preemptively placing traffic-control devices in areas that tend to flood.
Winston-Salem
In the City of Winston-Salem, field operations crews are clearing storm grates, focusing on built-up areas and flood-prone areas. Crews are on standby in case they need to extend their hours.
Vegetation Management will have an on-call crew available to clear streets and debris. The department is ready to mobilize additional crews if necessary.
At the moment, the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Office of Emergency Management is not planning to activate the Emergency Operations Center, but it is on standby with representatives available in case the city needs to activate the center.
The City of Winston-Salem asks residents to report downed trees and flooded streets to CityLink at 311 or 727-8000. CityLink will be available until 11 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. Hours may be adjusted depending on the need.
Liberty
Town leaders and emergency personnel in Liberty are monitoring streets with dead ends and neighborhoods with low-hanging trees and powerlines.
“The town has a fairly good layout when it comes to streets and grids and things like that, but there are some dead-end roads and … we have to take special attention of these areas,” said Capt. Bret Pedigo of the Liberty Fire Department.
The Liberty Fire Department and the town’s public works staff have been going around town and checking low-lying areas that are at risk of flooding.
“If there’s flooding or if there’s a tree down, because we want to be able to get and serve these citizens,” said Pedigo.
Running additional checks on septic lift stations, public works is making sure the generators are prepared to kick on in case of power outages. Liberty Fire Department and Public Works are making sure they have equipment ready to tackle down trees and power lines. That includes prepping their vehicles to handle high water.
“This is one of our streets that has a lot of overhanging trees, and if you can avoid — if you live on this, you don’t have much choice,” Pedigo said. “But, if you can avoid going routes that have this and maybe take routes that don’t have as many trees and power lines, that might be that 1%, very rare chance, that it could help you out.”
They are also ready to streamline communication to make sure they are ready to respond.
“When there’s so much traffic inside the county and, you know, there are hundreds of calls being dispatched, especially in the middle of it, it’s a high wind and rain event. They switch to a storm mode where they only dispatch on one channel and we respond on a different channel,” said Pedigo.
The town issued a disaster declaration, which would pave the way for funding, if Debby’s damage is significant.
“We always do those to ensure that, if some reason it becomes something that’s statewide, we can also receive any FEMA funding or something if it is a natural disaster that happens,” said Liberty Town Manager Scott Kidd. “That is the best way that we can ensure we get our funding back to help as we continue to repair whatever may happen.”
Randolph County Emergency Services Chief Deputy Jared Byrd said county emergency services have been in contact with municipalities in the county to ensure they have access to equipment and resources for the storm. They have been working to ensure the 911 call center is ready for a potential uptick in calls, been in communication with the National Weather Service as they monitor Tropical Storm Debby.
State of North Carolina
Gov. Roy Cooper signed an Executive Order on Monday declaring a State of Emergency ahead of severe weather expected across North Carolina.
“This weather has the potential to bring intense rain and flooding to North Carolina, and we are preparing for it,” Cooper said. “As the weather becomes more severe, I urge everyone to take precautions and stay safe.”
The order activates the State Emergency Operations Plan and allows for the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety to take action to ensure utility vehicles move quickly to eliminate power outages and vehicles carrying essential supplies such as food, medicine and fuel or transporting livestock, poultry and crops move quickly as well.
The governor and NC Emergency Management officials are urging North Carolinians to be safe and cautious during heavy rainfall and winds and to expect flooding and power outages as a strong weather system will impact the state starting Tuesday through the end of the week.
Keep up with updates
Make sure you’re staying up to date with the severe weather by having multiple ways to receive weather alerts. A few ways include the MyFOX8 news app, cell phone alerts, weather radio, and social media. Do not rely on a single source for weather alerts because sometimes technology can fail.
“Having a plan and being prepared improves your chances of surviving and recovering from the damage of severe weather,” said August Vernon, director of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Office of Emergency Management.
