Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. High near 80F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Thunderstorms early, then becoming clear after midnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.

An emergency kit is a container of items your family may need in or after an emergency. Be sure every family member knows where the kit is kept. You need to put enough water, food and supplies in your kit for three to seven day for each person and pet. You may be on your own for hours or even days after a disaster.

The Tar River level sits at 19.87 feet on Nov. 11, following heavy rains associated with tropical storm Eta. While the level was among the highest crests measured on the Tar River in Greenville, it still was 10 feet lower than levels were following Hurricane Floyd in 1999 (29.74 feet) and 4.5 feet lower than Hurricane Matthew in 2016 (24.46 feet).

An emergency kit is a container of items your family may need in or after an emergency. Be sure every family member knows where the kit is kept. You need to put enough water, food and supplies in your kit for three to seven day for each person and pet. You may be on your own for hours or even days after a disaster.

The Tar River level sits at 19.87 feet on Nov. 11, following heavy rains associated with tropical storm Eta. While the level was among the highest crests measured on the Tar River in Greenville, it still was 10 feet lower than levels were following Hurricane Floyd in 1999 (29.74 feet) and 4.5 feet lower than Hurricane Matthew in 2016 (24.46 feet).

With the school year fast approaching we can look forward to slightly cooler weather in the fall. Along with that usually comes the peak of hurricane season here in eastern North Carolina.

Now is a good time to ensure our preparedness for major storm events. If you have lived around here during hurricane season, you know that we typically have plenty of notice and time to prepare before the storm arrives. But we also experience storms that don’t allow for advance warnings such as flash flooding, tornadoes, or severe thunderstorms.

It’s important to understand the language you see and hear about storms in the area that are issued by the National Weather Service bureaus.

A watch simply means that conditions are conducive to a particular weather-related event (storm watch, flood, heat, etc.) and people are encouraged to be mindful.

A warning is more urgent and people are encouraged to take action. When a warning is issued, it indicates that the threat is imminent or a severe event is expected now or very soon (tornado, flood, heat, etc).

Tornado warnings are often more severe than others and should be considered more urgent.

Whether the threat is urgent or there is time to get ready, it is a good idea to create a preparedness kit ahead of time. Home preparedness does not need to be complicated and can be as robust as the individual desires.

A basic home preparedness kit must include a few essentials however: bottled water, three days of provisions (non-perishable food items and snacks), flashlights/battery lanterns, spare batteries of multiple sizes, medications, first aid kit, blankets, toilet paper or wipes, a battery-powered or weather radio, whistle, and any essential items that may be specific to the individual.

During major storm events like Hurricane Matthew and Florence citizens were without normal services and even emergency services for 24 to 96 hours. This means that firefighters, police, EMS, utilities providers, and other rescue personnel were unable to access people in distress for literally days in some cases.

When widescale power outages occur, our lifelines — things such as gas pumps, ATMs and cellphones will not work. Cellphone towers will run on generator power until the fuel is either filled or runs out.

We must be resilient and capable of providing for ourselves for some period of time without intervention. It is vital to check in now to ensure that our friends and neighbors have the tools in the box to survive major events.

Pitt County and others will likely open survival or disaster shelters ahead of a hurricane event that is bearing down. These are not built for comfort or a homey feeling but for being a safe space to ride out a storm.

In Pitt County we utilize partnerships with the Red Cross, Pitt County Schools, the church community, and other partners to ensure adequate space and availability across the county depending on our impacts.

Additionally, the Department of Social Services, Public Health, and others will work together to address the medically fragile community with a “special medical needs” command center. This simply means that people with major medical needs such as ventilator support would have a shelter option as well.

People who use home oxygen or CPAP therapy or other special medical equipment are not necessarily considered for special medical needs. This support is specialized and has limited resources to help those persons in dire situations.

The command center staff will help and have advice/information for those seeking it, however, and all residents would be helped. Remember that shelters are a last resort, but will likely be available should the need arise.

Preparedness is a verb. We must be responsible for our own safety and survival whenever possible. Please help by making sure local communities are resilient and responsive to emergencies by ensuring some levels of preparedness and capability ahead of time. This will allow responders to reach the most vulnerable people first and to prioritize better in a time of disaster.

For more information about how to prepare for a disaster, you can visit www.ready.gov

You can also visit the county website pittcountync.gov/206/Special-Medical-Needs for details about the special medical needs registry.

In the words of the Boy Scout motto “Be Prepared.” It really can make a difference for you and your family!

Pitt Partners for Health (PPH) is a community health improvement partnership with representatives from local churches, businesses, communities, the hospital, health department and other human service agencies.

The partnership’s mission is to improve the population health of Pitt County through coalition building and partnership/

PPH meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month. For more information, contact Mary Hall at mphall@vidanthealth.com

James McArthur Jr is the Deputy Director – EMS Coordinator Pitt County Emergency Management. He also serves on the Pitt Partners for Health Access to Care Action Team.

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