DarCo Emergency Management ready for peak storm season
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
As the 2016 hurricane season enters its peak period, four storm systems are brewing in the Atlantic Ocean and South Carolina braces for inclement weather. At press time, Tropical Depression #9 is hovering in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, poised to sweep northward and literally rain all over the Bojangles Southern 500 parade, not to mention the weekend NASCAR events at Darlington Raceway. Let’s all knock wood and say a prayer for fair weather, shall we?
Whether the weather cooperates or not, local first responders are ready to answer the call if Darlington County suffers a repeat of the severe rains and flooding that accompanied Hurricane Joaquin in October of 2015. Using cutting edge forecasting technology and expert meteorology services from the Wilmington, NC office of the National Weather Service, our local emergency management office is better prepared than ever to forewarn the public about weather events, though some of that expertise was earned the hard way – by slogging through record rainfall and working long hours to assess damage once the water subsided.
“The rain started about ten o’clock on Friday night (Oct. 2),” recalls Mike “Mac” McDonald, Darlington County Emergency Management director. “I knew Darlington was going underwater. I just didn’t know by how much.”
During the 48-hour period from Friday night to Sunday evening, areas around the county received from six to thirteen inches of rain, with Lamar and South Darlington hit particularly hard. Ponds near Darlington Raceway and Pinedale Drive flooded over. Dams washed away. Water rushed from broken ponds into Swift Creek and Black Creek.
“I’ve never seen Black Creek flood as fast as it did in October,” says McDonald, who has worked with Darlington County for 24 years, 19 of those in Emergency Services. “It crested at eighteen feet, which is eight feet over flood stage.”
Darlington County fire, police, and EMS crews were put on alert and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated. Personnel from these agencies moved quickly to rescue trapped residents from flooded homes – sometimes utilizing boats to reach isolated houses – and get them to safety. McDonald contacted the American Red Cross and they opened a shelter at Lamar High School to provide temporary haven for displaced families.
This quick response and coordinated effort may not have stemmed the floodwaters, but local first responders kept the tragedy confined to property losses.
“Not one single person died during the floods here in Darlington County,” says McDonald.
Once the rains ended Monday afternoon, damage assessments began and emergency crews shifted gears from rescue to recovery, taking pains to document damage so that county residents could qualify for FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) assistance. Despite the fact that Darlington County met the $240,000 threshold for uninsured or underinsured damages, many residents had their claims denied because they could not conclusively prove the damage to their homes or businesses was not a pre-existing condition.
McDonald says in some cases, FEMA disqualified claims because there was no clearly delineated water line on walls to mark the height of flood waters. For those who did qualify for disaster aid, the average payment was only about $3,000. In the months following the storm, McDonald has made several public speeches to civic groups and service clubs outlining ways people can protect themselves, such as talking with their home insurance agents to make sure their policies and riders cover potential weather-related damage.
Another key bit of advice: be realistic about how quickly emergency responders can reach you, and the amount of help they can provide. McDonald advises everyone to keep disaster preparedness supplies on hand: stock up on non-perishable canned food and bottled water (at least a three-day supply), keep a seven-day supply of all necessary medications, purchase tarps to spot-fix your roof in case of damage, and buy extra propane or charcoal in case you need to head outdoors and cook perishable food from the fridge or freezer before it goes bad.
With another wet summer-to-fall transition on the horizon, keeping informed about potential weather events can give you valuable lead time before storms hit. Darlington County Emergency Management invites everyone to check out their customized weather page brimming with detailed forecast information. Alerts are distributed through social media outlets, so you can receive up-to-the-minute info on your mobile devices.
You can visit the real-time weather page at www.weather.gov/ilm/emdarlington, friend them on Facebook, and follow DCEM on Twitter @DarCoEmMgmt, and on Instagram @DarCoEMD
