Hurricane Season has Arrived, being Prepared is Critical

With the start of Hurricane season, Pender County is here to promote hurricane preparedness for citizens in our County. To help spread the word and make citizens better prepared, we are committed to continuing to ensure all know their risk, get prepared and stay informed.

Over the years, we have witnessed the devasting impacts that hurricanes can cause. High winds, heavy rainfall, tornadoes, and floods can cause loss of life and damage to property. As we saw with the impacts of many hurricanes in Pender County, all hurricanes can cause significant damage, whether they are considered a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) or not.

Always keep these important facts in mind while preparing:

Know Your Risk: To search for general information about risks in your area, visit https://gis.pendercountync.gov/maps/ and type in your address. Click on layers and select flood zones to see what flood zone you are in or nearby. You can also visit NOAA’s historical hurricane track tool at https://coast.noaa.gov/hurricanes/ to check the severity and frequency of past hurricanes in your area.

Flood Alerts: To sign up for flood alerts that are tied to the nearest river gages, go to Pender County’s website and click on “sign-up for Emergency Alerts” on the Home page or go to https://local.nixle.com/pender-county-nc and click the “Sign Up” button at the top of the page.  You can also sign up for flood alerts on the Flood Inundation Mapping and Alert Network (FIMAN) page https://fiman.nc.gov/ or by clicking on the link on the Pender County Know Your Flood Hazard page https://pendercountync.gov/272/Know-Your-Flood-Hazard. Download the Pender EM app from the App store on your smart phone.

Get prepared: Act now to be prepared for hurricane season. Make sure you have family evacuation and communication plans, update your emergency supply kit and evaluate your flood insurance needs.

Survival Kit Supplies: Water, food (non-perishable), flashlight, battery power or hand-crank radio (Can purchase at red cross store online), extra batteries, deluxe family first aid kit, medications and medical items, multi-purpose tools, sanitation and personal hygiene items, copy of personal documents, cell phone with charger, family and emergency contact information, extra cash, emergency blanket, maps of the area and (IF NEEDED) baby supplies, games and activities for children, pet supplies, manual can-opener.

Flood Insurance: Did you know that homeowner’s insurance does not cover damage from flooding? The good news is that the Pender County community is a member of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).  Flood insurance is available to homeowners, condo owners, apartment owners, renters, and business owners. Typically, there’s a 30-day waiting period from date of purchase before your policy goes into effect. Areas in the floodplain are areas that are at high risk for flooding. In high-risk areas, there is at least a 1 in 4 chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage.

“No matter the prediction numbers for the season, it only takes one to be a bad year” said Tommy Batson, Pender County Emergency Management Director 

  For more information, watch our Pender County Emergency Management website or download our Pender EM app. If you have not signed up to receive local emergency alerts, register for free at https://pendercountync.gov/162/Emergency-Management or call 910-259-1210 for details.