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Hurricane Dorian

September 9, 2019
TRASH & RECYCLING

Trash & recycling pickup is back on its regular schedule. Recyclables that were missed last Thursday & Friday will not be picked up before this week's regular pickup. We apologize for the inconvenience. 

September 6, 2019
STORM UPDATE

The citywide curfew has been lifted.  Approximately 6,500 customers are out of power as of 12pm Friday.  Crews continue to work around the clock to repair damaged lines and restore service. At the height of the storm, more than 14,000 customers were without power. Check out our live, real-time power outages map here.

Public Works will spend the weekend clearing streets of debris and downed trees.  Beginning Monday, crews will begin the regular leaf and limb pickup. Pile your vegetative debris curbside but not in the street.  Limbs must be no larger than 5 feet in length and 5 inches in diameter so our crews & machinery can pick it up.  NO CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS. NO APPLIANCES. NO FURNITURE.

WASTE INDUSTRIES: Thursday & Friday routes will be picked up on Saturday, September 7th.

West New Bern Rec Center will reopen tomorrow.  Hours will be 9am-3pm.  Cedar Grove Cemetery and New Bern Memorial Cemetery remain closed after suffering tree damage.

STORM UPDATE

Approximately 6,268 customers are out of power as of 5:20am.  We have lost another feeder line in the southern area towards Havelock.

Approximately 4, 061 customers are out of power. One main feeder line is down.  Crews are assessing the issue and will make repairs as they're able in current conditions. Current winds are listed at 32mpg with gusts up to 45mph, making it tough to keep bucket truck extensions in the air.

Storm surge is currently at 3.25ft.

A curfew remains in effect until 6am Sunday.

September 5, 2019
STORM UPDATE

The Department of Public Utilities has responded to approximately 620 power outages.  These two incidents were caused by falling tree limbs. The outages were reported around 7pm and were restored around 8pm.  250 people are in shelters across the county along with 10 dogs & cats.

We are currently at about 2.2 ft of storm surge.  Wind gusts range from 27-30mph.

Road closures: S. Front St behind Tryon Palace and E. Front St at Council Bluffs are closed due to high water.

BUS PICKUPS TO AREA SHELTERS

The City launched a CodeRED alert to citizens in low lying areas encouraging them to evacuate.  Here is the transcript of the CodeRED alert:

This is a CodeRED alert from the City of New Bern. You are located in a flood prone area.  Please consider evacuating ahead of hurricane Dorian.  City of NB fire and police crews will be in your neighborhood making announcements over a loudspeaker encouraging residents to evacuate.  These crews will be accompanied by buses offering transportation to a shelter – either Creekside Elementary School or Ben D. Quinn Elementary.  

If you would like transportation to a shelter, please go to the following locations to board the bus.  The buses will continue circling these routes, approximately every hour, until 5pm.
The first pickup is at noon for the following locations:

Oakland and Ashland Ave
Oaks andS. Glenburnie
N Glenburnie and TuscanLa
Mourning dove & Deer Path Cir
George St Park
Watson Ave and National Ave
Maola
River Drive & Court St
Stanly White Rec Center
Duffyfield Headstart
Beaufort & Garden St
JT Barber School
Washington & Hazel Ave
Chesapeake & Batts Hill
Batts Hill & Turtle Bay
Batts Hill & Tram
Country Club & Elm Dr
Chestnut & Oscar
Liberty St & Walt Bellamy
Walt Bellamy and Fleet St
Broad St and E Front St.
Riverside and Sandy Point

The following pickups are at 1 pm:

National Guard Armory
Pierce Park
Neuse Ave and Asheville St
Beech St and South Carolina Ave
Duffy St and Oaks Rd 
Washington and Hazel Ave
Coopers Landing Apts
N Hills and Laurel St
North Hills Ct and Drive
Chestnut and Oscar
EF Thompkins and Charles

Citizens should bring their own pillows, blankets, medication, hygiene items, special foods, baby formula (if needed) and any other special needs items.  There may be times that the shelters are without the ability to support medical devices and equipment so portable charging devices are recommended.  Pets will be accepted at the Ben D. Quinn Elementary emergency shelter only.  No other emergency shelters will allow pets.  This shelter accepts cats and dogs only.  All pets must be crated & you must bring food and water for them, medications, and rabies certificates.  You must remain at the shelter with their pet and are responsible for caring for and cleaning up after their pet.  Citizens are prohibited from bringing weapons, alcohol, illegal drugs, perishable food items, radios or televisions into an emergency shelter.  Small hand-held devices can be used with headphones.

CITY OF NEW BERN ISSUES CURFEW

Curfew imposed effective at 11pm Thursday, September 5 until 6am Sunday, September 8, 2019 unless in search of medical assistance, food or other commodity of service necessary to sustain the well-being of himself and his family or some member thereof.  Read the entire curfew here.

September 4, 2019

Waste Industries: trash & recycling pickup has been suspended for Thursday & Friday routes. Please DO NOT put your receptacles out because contents can become projectiles & can block stormwater drainage. A new pickup schedule for these routes will be announced later.

New sandbags have been delivered to all three sand sites.  Bring a shovel.  Bags & sand are supplied.  The sandbag locations are: West NB Rec Center, 1225 Pine Tree Drive (by the ball field);
Stanley White Rec Center, 901 Chapman Street (in the parking lot) ; and the empty lot at Craven/S. Front Street

City offices and facilities will remain open until 5pm today (Wednesday, Sept. 4).   Offices will be closed Thursday and Friday for normal operations.  Designated staff will be assigned as directed.   

Parks & Rec info: Lawson Creek Park will close at 12pm on Thursday. All other city parks will close at sunset today and remain closed until further notice.  West New Bern Recreation Center will close at 5pm today.

September 3, 2019
VOLUNTARY EVACUATION ORDER ISSUED FOR ZONE A
Four shelters opening ahead of hurricane Dorian

Evac_ZoneACity officials have received word from Craven County leaders that a voluntary evacuation order has been issued for residents living in Zone A as of 2pm Wednesday, September 4th.  Four shelters are being opened to accommodate evacuees.  

Craven County is participating in a pilot program called the NC Know Your Zone evacuation program, facilitated by the NC Department of Safety.  According to the County’s website, NC Know Your Zone (KYZ) is a new tiered evacuation system that highlights areas most at risk to storm surge and flooding impacts from hurricanes, tropical storms, and other hazards. Know Your Zone relies on a color-coded approach for users to determine the evacuation zone where they live, work, or are visiting based upon their street address.  More information and a general map are located here.  The State’s Ready NC website and app make it easy to plug in your address and instantly find which zone your home, business or property is located within. 

A map detailing Zone A neighborhoods and communities within the City of New Bern is located here. 

Four shelters are being opened at 4pm Wednesday, September 4th for residents who are voluntarily evacuating:
Creekside Elementary School, 2790 Landscape Drive
Ben D. Quinn Elementary School, 4275 Doctor M.L.K. Jr. Blvd. (pet friendly)
Farm Life Elementary School, 2000 Farm Life Ave, Vanceboro
Havelock High School, 101 Webb Blvd, Havelock 

Evacuees who need transportation to the shelters should call the Craven County Emergency Operations Center at (252)636-6608. 

As a reminder, the City of New Bern’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on Highway 55 will mobilize at 8:00am Thursday, September 5th.  Today, staff continue to prepare city infrastructure and equipment in advance of the storm, including gathering storm survival supplies, topping off fuel tanks, ordering additional inventory, and communicating with employees and mutual aid teams who are staged and ready to help mitigate power outages, water and sewer emergencies and debris removal. 

If you are a City of New Bern utility customer and you lose power, report it by using our website portal located here.   Or, call us at (252)636-4070.  You do not need to speak to an operator. Leave a detailed message with your address, type of emergency, and contact info and an operator will call you back to ensure restoration. 

Residents are strongly encouraged to subscribe to the City’s emergency alert system, CodeRED.  It’s free and alerts subscribers to emergencies within the community through text messaging, emails, or phone calls.  You can sign up on the city website or download the CodeRED app to your smartphone.  

The City will post additional storm updates and information, as necessary, to its social media platforms.  Follow us on Twitter @CityofNewBern, Facebook at City of New Bern, NC Government, or Instagram at @CityofNewBern.

3 SANDBAG SITES AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC, FIRST COME FIRST SERVE 
Locations: West NB Rec Center, 1225 Pine Tree Drive (by the ball field)
Stanley White Rec Center, 901 Chapman Street (in the parking lot)
The empty lot at Craven/S. Front Street
Bags available. BRING A SHOVEL! 

Please stay tuned to https://www.cravencountync.gov/ for info and announcements about possible shelters opening for hurricane Dorian, should they be needed.  Additionally, if you live in a low-lying area that is subject to flooding, you should be prepared to take action, securing your belongings and property, in the event evacuations are ordered and shelters are opened. Emergency crews may not be able to evacuate or rescue you during the storm once high winds, flooding and storm surge intensify.

Craven County is participating in a pilot project for the NC Know Your Zone Evacuation Program.  North Carolina Know Your Zone (KYZ) is a new tiered evacuation system that highlights areas most at risk to storm surge and flooding impacts from hurricanes, tropical storms, and other hazards. Know Your Zone relies on a color-coded approach for users to determine the evacuation zone where they live, work, or are visiting based upon their street address.  For more information click here.

Many thanks to ElectriCities and all the other public & private power partners for their willingness to help those of us in & near the path of hurricane Dorian. Your help is appreciated! 
MutualAssistNetworksActivated

From Katie Carter, NC Cooperative Extension Livestock Agent:
With Hurricane Dorian approaching it is important that we have emergency plans in place for ourselves as well as our livestock. Here are a few precautions that can be done to ensure that everyone makes it out of the storm as safe as possible:

• Evacuate your animals if you are not sure if they are safe.
• Mark livestock. This means some form of identification with animal’s name, owner’s name, phone number, and address. Ear tags are in Craven, Jones, and Pamlico County Extension offices to braid into manes of horses.
• Make sure that fencing and shelter is adequate enough to hold up during the storm.
• Have enough feed and hay on hand to last a few weeks.
• Have a small first aid kit stocked and ready to go. This can include cut ointment, gauze, vet wrap, and anything else that you feel may be necessary.
• Have a safe place to take animals after the storm if damage is too great on your property to safely house your animals. This also includes a trailer and multiple routes to and from your farm to the safe farm in case of flooding and roads being impassable.
• If the pasture that is housing your livestock starts flooding and there is no dry area for your animals to go, let them out. Animals will find a dry, safe place to weather out the storm. We can always find them after the storm.

These are just a few things that can be done to ensure that livestock and owners weather Hurricane Dorian as safely as possible. If you need more information on safety, resources, have questions, or need to know where to evacuate livestock in Craven, Jones, and Pamlico Counties please contact Katie Carter, Livestock Agent at (252) 876-5606.


September 2, 2019
CITY PREPARES FOR HURRICANE DORIAN

StaffMeeting_Sept2Although the forecast track for hurricane Dorian remains uncertain, the City of New Bern is taking steps now to prepare and is encouraging residents to do the same.  National Hurricane Center meteorologists say although a landfall is uncertain at this time, the storm poses a significant threat to the southeastern United States.  By week’s end, Dorian is forecast to impact eastern North Carolina. 

The City of New Bern declared a State of Emergency effective at 5:00pm today.  The proclamation, signed by Mayor Pro Tempore Jeffrey Odham, is an emergency mechanism that must be in place ahead of requests for regional, state, and federal resources.  It also allows the city to take emergency measures to secure and protect residents, such as enacting curfews and limiting the sale of alcohol. No curfews or sales limitations are currently in effect. 

The City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on Highway 55 will mobilize at 8:00am Thursday, September 5th ahead of the storm.  Management staff met today to discuss possible scenarios and storm impacts as well as current preparations, then began scheduling supplemental and on-call staff for storm duty.  On Tuesday, city staff will begin checking supplies at the warehouse on Kale Road, making sure needs can be met for mitigating power outages, water and sewer emergencies, and debris removal.  The Department of Public Utilities has mutual aid agreements in place should the City require additional help to restore power quickly and efficiently.  Staff will begin topping off fuel in emergency response vehicles and equipment by midweek. 

“We will know more about the track of the storm in the next 24-48 hours, but we are using this valuable time to get staff, equipment and supplies in place and ready to go,” said City Manager Mark Stephens.  “New Bern could see storm surge, flooding, significant rain, power outages and wind damage as a result of this hurricane.”  

The City’s stormwater pumps located at Jack Smith Creek and East Rose Street will begin operating soon in an effort to increase floodwater capacity ahead of hurricane Florence.  During storms, these pumps come on automatically as water levels rise.  

“Our best advice right now is to make sure your disaster kit is stocked and ready,” said Fire-Rescue Chief Robert Boyd.  “Be sure to have food and water supplies for each member of the family to last several days, have first aid supplies and medications handy as well as batteries, flashlights and a weather radio.  And if you live in a flood prone area, consider riding out the storm somewhere away from Dorian’s forecast track, possibly with a friend or family member.”  Tuesday, firefighters will begin going door-to-door in low-lying areas encouraging residents to head inland.  Those areas include, but are not limited to, Woodrow, Duffyfield, North 2nd Avenue, North Hills Drive, Cooper’s Landing, Hazel Avenue and Attmore Drive.      

If you are a city customer and you lose power, report it by using our website portal at www.NewBernNC.gov. From the homepage, click on “How Do I,” then “Report a Problem,” then “Report a Problem” (again), which will direct customers to a page where they can report power outages, water/sewer emergencies, and non-emergency issues.  Or, call us at (252)636-4070.  You do not need to speak to an operator. Leave a detailed message with your address, type of emergency, and contact info and an operator will call you back to ensure restoration. 

Residents are strongly encouraged to subscribe to the City’s emergency alert system, CodeRED.  It’s free and alerts subscribers to emergencies within the community through text messaging, emails, or phone calls.  You can sign up on the city website or download the CodeRED app to your smartphone.  

The City will post additional storm updates and information, as necessary, to its social media platforms.  Follow us on Twitter @CityofNewBern. Find us on Facebook at City of New Bern, NC Government.  Or find us on Instagram at @CityofNewBern.

City of New Bern State of Emergency Proclamation (pdf)

 
August 31st:
The most recent update on hurricane Dorian shows the projected path of the storm taking a more northerly turn with the coastal Carolinas in its sights. As evident with the abrupt change in trajectory, the actual path is still unknown this far in advance. However, it is important that our citizens continue to follow reports and updates from authorities as the path will become more certain in the coming days. With that being said, now is the time to get prepared. Everyone should have emergency supplies on-hand, to include at least a 3 day supply of food & water for each person in the home. Don't forget about pets. It is also a good idea to gather flashlights & spare batteries; make sure cellphones & other devices are fully charged; & ensure that disaster survival kits are stocked with tools, tape, tarps, gloves & other supplies necessary for storm cleanup. Review your family plan now should disaster strike or in case evacuations are ordered.

Rest assured our staff is prepared in advance of the storm. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC), mutual-aid crews and other relative aspects of our response are ready to go. From Police, Fire & Public Works to Public Utilities and IT, your city leadership is here and ready to serve. #newbernstrong