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Big Earl draws attention

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Staff

By Kirk Ross, Staff Writer

Hurricane Earl, its intensity somewhere between Category 3 and Category 4, is expected to slide by North Carolina on Friday and, at press time, is predicted to stir upon the coast but not make landfall along the Outer Banks.

Those in the Piedmont hoping the first major storm of the Atlantic hurricane season will bring needed rain to the area likely will have to settle for a little cloud cover.

But while residents here are slowly dropping their guard now that the threat appears to be passing, emergency management officials in Orange County are continuing with preparations to handle any emergency the rest of the season throws at them.

“Earl is a reminder that the season has started,” Frank Montes de Oca, the county’s director of emergency services, said Wednesday.

Montes de Oca said that he and his staff are keeping an eye on the line of storms moving off the coast of Africa and heading westward. Hurricane Earl is followed closely by Tropical Storm Fiona and a tropical system that has morphed into Tropical Storm Gaston.

History, near-record warm waters in the Atlantic and other favorable conditions are keeping forecasters and planners cautious.

Orange County officials are in steady contact with the National Weather Service and take part in three daily conference calls with the state Department of Emergency Management, Montes de Oca said. Meanwhile, crews here are checking equipment, topping off tanks and testing resources.
“You want to make sure the infrastructure is up and ready to go and you keep a close watch on the weather,” he said.
The past couple of seasons have been relatively quiet along the North Carolina coast, but Montes de Oca, who moved into the job two and a half years ago after working in Orlando, is well aware of the potential for hurricane damage a couple of hours inland.
A new Emergency Management Center, which opened a year and a half ago just outside of Hillsborough, has added to the county’s ability to prepare and respond, Montes de Oca said.
“There are a lot of positives to consolidating into one building,” he said. Communication between departments is improved and much easier and, in case of an emergency, pulling together top staff quickly is much more possible, he said.
Tips, contact information and an emergency preparation guide are available on the county’s website at www.co.orange.nc.us/emergency/Emergencypreparedness.asp

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