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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLEPC Minutes 05.11.2022/ New Hanover and Pender Counties Meeting Minutes for May 11, 2022 10:00 AM in New Hanover County Emergency Operations Center Attendance Name Business Name Business  Matt Allen American Red Cross Steve Mason Wilmington Police Department  Paul Carr New Hanover Regional Medical Center Emergency Management Frank Meyer NHC Fire & Rescue  John Dittmar NC State Ports Authority Jeannine Patané American Red Cross  Christopher Drimmel Acme Smoked Fish Alex Riley NHC Communications and Outreach  Lt. Amanda Faulkner US Coast Guard Jodie Ruskin UNC Wilmington  D. Allen Hancock NC Dept. of Transportation Teresa Smith NHC Emergency Management, LEPC Chair  Stan Harts Alcami Corporation Ron Stancil Sturdy Corporation  Eric Hatcher Cape Fear Public Utility Authority Michael Thompson American Red Cross  Taylor Henderson Alcami Mark Venters GE Hitachi/Global Nuclear Fuels  Diana Hills New Hanover County Health Department Natosha Tew City of Wilmington Fire Department  Billy Howard NHRMC Emergency Medical Services Carol Yates Corning  Tina Kuhr GE Hitachi, LEPC Secretary     Welcome and Introductions – Teresa Smith, LEPC Chair Teresa Smith opened the meeting at 10 AM. Those present introduced themselves to the group. Review and Approval of Minutes Draft minutes from the February 9, 2022, meeting were emailed out ahead of time. Frank Meyer moved to accept the minutes as written; Mike Thompson seconded. Minutes were accepted as submitted. Annual Safety Awards Program – NC Department of Labor Teresa Smith presented a slide show highlighting LEPC member organizations and Tier 2 facilities that received safety awards. Presentation: 2022 Storm Predictions – Steve Pfaff, National Weather Service (NWS) Steve provided an updated on the planned resolution to the Shallotte radar’s coverage blockage due to tree growth in the years since installation. The NWS has money in this year’s budget to relocate the transmitter. They are looking for three possible new locations in Brunswick County. The new radar will expand to coverage to four tiers, which will lower the lowest tier. It will take about three years to complete the move and require a 6-to-8-week outage during the move. The 2021 Hurricane season produces 21 named storms, 14 Tropical Storms, 7 Hurricanes, and four Major Hurricanes. It was the third most active and the third costliest on record. Three storms impacted the Carolinas: Claudette, Fred, and Elsa. Three additional storms created significant rip currents and rough surf: Henri, Larry, and Sam. Steve has rip current risk information available for those interested. This was the seventh year where a storm formed before June 1. The NWS will start providing tropical updates in mid-May. The peak of hurricane season is around September 10, with the majority of storms forming from mid-August to mid-October. The last two Major Hurricanes (wind) to impact the Carolinas were Hugo which was a Category 4 in 1989 and Fran a Category 3 storm in 1996. Florence made landfall as Category 1, although it peaked at Category 4. New Hanover and Pender Counties have relatively high hurricane risk. Risk is individual and depends on house type, tree proximity, history of flooding, need for power for survival, storm surge vulnerability, etc. Do NOT focus only on the Saffir Simpson scale! A Major Hurricane (Category 3 or greater) is not the same as an impactful (destructive) hurricane. Focus on potential impact, not just wind speed. All it takes is one storm to be a bad year if it impacts you. Another thing to keep in mind is that the cone in the hurricane track forecast is NOT the area of impact; it is projected the path of the center of the storm. Most spin off tornadoes form on the right front quadrant of the storm. Sea level rise has resulted in increasing storm surge impact. The NWS is issuing coastal flood advisories on a normal day. A warmer atmosphere holds more water, which increases the risk of catastrophic floods and creates more intense hurricanes. Following both Hurricanes Floyd and Florence, New Hanover County became essentially an island due to flooding. LEPC members were urged to encourage our staff to be prepared, including employees, their homes, and families. Reliable sources for preparedness information include ReadyNHC.com, ReadyNC.gov, and Ready.gov. Be prepared to sustain oneself for 7 to 10 days. Be cautious about misinformation online and in social media. Seek out reputable sources for information, including the NWS and local government. Colorado University has issued their 2022 season outlook and is predicting 19 named storms, nine Hurricanes, and four Major Hurricanes. NOAA will issue their 2022 season forecast around May 24. This year will be a Neutral to La Nina year in the Pacific. Neutral and La Nina years historically have had twice the number of storms as an El Nino year. Committee Updates Emergency Planning/Response The county has received another training grant, which will allow them to follow up on items in the after-action report from the tabletop exercise in November 2021. The goal is for the county to have a full-scale exercise in 2023, if the county is ready. Let Teresa know if you are interested in being on the planning committee. Community Education/Public Awareness Teresa will meet with Tina Kuhr and Linda Willis separately to work on a strategy for recruitment for LEPC membership for Tier 2 industries that are not currently members. Membership Announcements GE Hitachi is having an exercise on June 15. Planning is underway. This is the biennial exercise that was postponed from 2021 due to COVID. Mutual aid agencies are participating. The US Coast Guard’s Area All Hazards Planning Committee has an updated plan out for review that includes oil spills and HAZMAT. There are a number of upcoming Disaster Preparedness Expos: June 4 in Pender County, May 21 in Brunswick County, June 11 in Leland, and one later this year in NHC as well. Open Forum Frank Meyers moved that the meeting be adjourned; Natosha Tew seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 11:15 AM.