More than a storm: A look at the personal impact a hurricane has on the lives of the National Weather Service Employees

In September 2018, Hurricane Florence impacted North Carolina with five days of heavy rain and wind, resulting in damages estimated at $24B and 53 fatalities. Hurricane force wind gusts lasted for over 18 hours along coastal counties. Record storm surge values were reported in New Bern, NC, with nearly three feet of rain observed in Swansboro, NC, and one to two feet of rain observed across several inland counties leading to widespread river flooding not seen since Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Floyd (1999). While we often explore and discuss the impact of these tremendous events on our partners and the public that we serve, we rarely dive into the challenges National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Offices (WFO), and their personnel, face when directly impacted by such an impactful storm.

This presentation will demonstrate the workload and office performance leading up to, during, and after Hurricane Florence passed through eastern North Carolina. The NWS surge staffed two meteorologists and one hydrologist to the WFO prior to the storm. Since impacts ranged from a long duration wind and rain event, along with significant storm surge along the Neuse River and its tributaries, WFO staff spent several days after direct impact surveying damage to document the historic impacts of the hurricane.

Additionally, the presentation will demonstrate how WFO Newport/Morehead City and WFO Wakefield worked collaboratively to maintain a seamless operational forecast environment despite failing utility and communication technologies directly impacted by Hurricane Florence.