Before, during, and after Tropical Storm Debby, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh leaders planned, prepared, and activated their disaster readiness for Central and Eastern North Carolina. North Carolina is no stranger to Hurricanes and Tropical storms and that’s why Catholic Charities training is ongoing to better position community readiness and assistance, which was proven this past week.
In preparation for the arrival of Tropical Storm Debby, Governor Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency on Monday, August 5th. Over the next few days, North Carolina was forecast to receive heavy rainfall, gusty winds, and life-threatening inland flooding. Although North Carolina didn’t experience massive flooding like in some previous storms, many communities have several flooded streets and rising rivers, impacting pockets of homeowners. Fayetteville Regional Program Director Vicky Jimenez said, “We had a dam breach, about 30 road closures from flooding in the Fayetteville region, and with more rain, crews are still watching the Lumber River.”
Before the storm, Catholic Charities regional directors identified vulnerable areas within the organization’s food pantries and warehouses and took steps to protect important areas, ensuring they were ready to respond when the storm passed. Staff pre-positioned key response assets, like mobile food trucks, to be on stand-by to provide critical response services if needed. Tar River Regional Director Liz McDowell said in preparation for the unknowns of Tropical Storm Debby, her team distributed food earlier than usual. “We finished food distribution, used Door Dash to get deliveries out early, and checked on residents to assist with household emergency planning, making sure they had a plan to evacuate if needed.” Regional teams were also on standby to receive additional food supplies to distribute in the storm’s aftermath.
Catholic Charities worked closely with local emergency officials and long-term response organizations, monitored the storm, and checked road conditions before sending supplies to families. In the Cape Fear region, team members delivered food and tarps to clients in need.
In New Bern, Program Manager Kitt Hardison said, “The rivers crested and are coming down, despite it being a rainy day. Craven County didn’t see flooding as it has in the past.” Still, their team prepared the downtown flood-prone New Bern office for the potential flooding. Teams worked remotely and connected with long-term recovery groups to track impacts of the storm.
Food pantries in Raleigh and Durham made similar preparations as well as contacting partner agencies, reviewing office operations standard operating procedures, and organizing additional food supplies if needed. Teams moved food and supplies to higher ground. They also had a large food distribution earlier in the week to plan for closing offices and warehouses at the end of the week, the anticipated worst storm conditions. Regional Director Barkley Sample said, “Catholic Parish Outreach (CPO) is not in a flood zone, but it’s close.” He added they were prepared to act as a clearing house to send out needed food and supplies to impacted areas.
As flood waters begin to recede, Catholic Charities staff across Central and Eastern North Carolina will work with partners to assess the damage and plan recovery efforts as needed. Staff have shared their readiness to respond with supplies such as food, cleaning supplies, and hygiene and baby items. Disaster case workers can also be made available to assist families with some of the early steps of their recovery process.
Anyone impacted by Tropical Storm Debby should reach out to their local Catholic Charities office for more information. All office locations can be found at www.CatholicCharitiesRaleigh.org/locations.