2018 North Carolina Severe Weather Preparedness Week

North Carolina Severe Weather Preparedness Week
March 4-10, 2018
Statewide Tornado Drill scheduled for Wednesday, March 7 at 9:30 AM

March 4-10, 2018 is Severe Weather Preparedness Week in North Carolina. During the event, the National Weather Service and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety will implement a severe weather safety campaign to all of North Carolina’s residents.

This year's North Carolina Severe Weather Preparedness Week will combine multiple awareness weeks while focusing on tornadoes, large hail, lightning, flash flooding, and damaging straight-line winds.

Schools and government buildings statewide will hold tornado drills Wednesday, March 7, at 9:30 a.m. to practice their emergency plans. Test messages will be broadcast on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radios and the Emergency Alert System. All North Carolinians are encouraged to participate in the drill.

For more information, visit https://www.weather.gov/rah/2018ncswpw

North Carolina Weather Resources (courtesy readync.org) :
North Carolina Department of Public Safety severe weather preparedness page:  https://readync.org/EN/Index.html

Be Informed:  https://readync.org/EN/Informed.html

Make a Plan:  https://readync.org/EN/Plan_MakeAPlan.html

Build a Kit:  https://readync.org/EN/Plan_GetAKit.html

Get Involved:  https://readync.org/EN/Involved.html

ReadyNC mobile app:  https://readync.org/EN/DOWNLOADAPP.html

Additional Weather Resources:

NOAA Weather Radio: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/

Wireless Emergency Alerts: https://www.weather.gov/wrn/wea

Nationwide Awareness Weeks: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/severeweather/severewxcal.shtml

Spanish-language: https://www.listo.gov

Cargo Containers Lost off North Carolina

On Mar. 4, 2018, the U.S. Coast Guard issued a warning to mariners of navigation hazards after about 70 cargo containers fell off of a cargo ship about 17 miles off Oregon Inlet, North Carolina.

On Saturday night March 3rd, 2018, the cargo ship Maersk Shanghai contacted watchstanders at Sector North Carolina’s command center via VHF-FM marine radio channel 16, notifying them that they lost approximately 70 to 73 cargo containers due to high winds and heavy seas.

The Coast Guard urges all mariners to transit this area with caution.

source: U.S. Coast Guard 5th District

Hurricane Joaquin Damage - Mid Atlantic States

A variety of agencies in the USA have been involved in predicting and accessing damage from Hurricane Joaquin.

Coastal change experts from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently warned that although the path of Hurricane Joaquin continues to move farther offshore, a high probability of dune erosion existed along parts of the Atlantic coast, from the North Carolina Outer Banks to Cape Cod.

Area which could be affected include the Outer banks, Virginia, and Maryland, New England, the New Jersey and New York coast.

USGS issues coastal-change forecasts, which integrate information produced by both the USGS and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its National Hurricane Center. The forecasts are posted daily to the agency's Coastal Change Hazards Portal.

source: U.S. Geological Survey