From Hurricane Floyd to Hurricane Matthew, Preparation and Response Has Changed in N.C.

Oct. 11--When Hurricane Floyd hit Eastern North Carolina in 1999, it triggered what The Free Press called "The 500-Year Flood." The flood would cause significant damage to more than 1,000 homes, flood another 2,500 homes and caused more than $300 million in damages.

By Friday, Kinston expects to be hit by the worst flood since Floyd.

Waters in the Neuse River are projected to break the 26-foot mark, one foot less than the levels experienced nearly two decades ago.

While the results of Floyd and Matthew are expected to be similar -- water damaged homes and businesses, flooding and property damage -- the way the city approaches the two disasters has changed.

"A lot of the biggest changes are technological," Tony Sears, Kinston city manager, said. "The way we are able to communicate with the public has changed, and I think we have done a pretty good job of using things like Facebook to keep the people informed of what is happening."

Since before the storm hit, a variety of Facebook and Twitter pages, from the City of Kinston's official outlets, to Emergency Services, Kinston Police and other social media accounts have been updated regularly with releases on storm preparation, evacuation information and other pertinent information.

"Those are just things that didn't happen before," Sears said. "Before, if someone couldn't hear an announcement live, how would you communicate that to everyone?"

Communication isn't the only area the city has improved.

Following Saturday's storm and the rise of the river over the weekend, much of the Neuseway Nature Center was under water by Monday morning.

While all of the non-native animals, furniture and equipment were evacuated from the center before the storm hit, Parks and Recreation Director Bill Ellis said the center will be able to reopen in the same building once the water recedes.

"We modified that building to be hurricane-resistant," Ellis said.

Following Floyd, Ellis said the main building was modified with new walls and floors, and the electrical systems were modified to keep them operational even if the building were to take on water.

One of the biggest differences between 1999 and 2016 storms isn't actually what has been added to city infrastructure, but what has been taken away.

Following Floyd, the city, with help from Federal Emergency Management Agency, bought out homes in some low-lying and flood-prone areas, moving people out of those houses and onto higher ground.

It was a controversial decision and one that some still question today, Sears said, but ultimately one that worked.

"On a day like today, you can see it was a good decision," Sears said. "Today, the amount of people who would need to be evacuated is one-tenth of what it would be."

Following Floyd, the city also moved the Water Reclamation Facility out of its old location, to prevent waste water from mixing with other flood waters should a storm like Matthew cause flooding in the future.

Dustin George can be reached at 252-559-1077 or Dustin.George@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustinGeorgeKFP.

Copyright 2016 - The Free Press, Kinston, N.C.