May 7th – May 13th 2017 is North Carolina Hurricane Preparedness Week

Alamance County Emergency Management urges employees and residents to use Hurricane Preparedness Week, May 7-13, to update their emergency plans and kits before storms strike.

June is the official beginning of summer and the beginning of hurricane season. The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, but most hurricanes strike the East and Gulf Coasts between mid-August and mid-October.

Tropical storms and hurricanes bring damaging winds, heavy rains, flooding and even tornadoes. In coastal areas, hurricanes can cause rip currents and storm surge. In the foothills and mountains, these tropical storms can spur dangerous landslides and mudslides.

Since hurricanes have impacted every part of North Carolina, it’s important for everyone to have a plan in place before a storm threatens Alamance County. Alamance County Emergency Management urges residents to make a plan and put together an emergency supply kit to provide the tools needed to survive the storm and recover from it.

Families should have their emergency kit ready to go at all times with enough non-perishable food and bottled water (1 gallon per person per day) to last three to seven days. Kits also should include:

• Copies of insurance papers and identification sealed in a watertight plastic bag
• First-aid kit
• Weather radio and batteries
• Supply of prescription medicines
• Bedding
• Changes of clothes
• Hygiene items such as toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and deodorant
• Cash or checkbook
• Pet supplies including food, water, leashes, bedding, muzzle and vaccination records
• A plan for those under your care who are unable to help themselves

Stay informed during severe weather using a battery-powered radio for weather and evacuation information. Know evacuation routes in your community; heed the warnings of state and local officials, and evacuate quickly when told to do so.

Be sure to review and update your homeowners’ or renters’ insurance policies to make sure they include coverage for accidental damage, natural disasters and, if necessary, flood insurance.

More information on hurricanes and overall emergency preparedness can be found at www.fema.gov or www.ReadyNC.org.  Alamance County emergency officials also urge residents to get the free ReadyNC mobile app, which provides real-time weather and traffic conditions for all parts of North Carolina.

Also, if you haven’t done so please sign up in NIXLE to receive FREE up-to-date emergency notifications concerning your neighborhood during emergency situations by texting ALAMANCE to 888777.

Contact Debbie Hatfield, Emergency Management Coordinator, at (336) 227-1365 or via email at debbie.hatfield@alamance-nc.com at the Alamance County Emergency Management Department for more information.

Alamance County Commissioner Participates in NC Association of County Commissioners Board Meeting Held in Davidson County

Lexington, N.C. – The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) held its spring Board of Directors meeting in Davidson County April 19. The meeting, which was called to order at 9:30 a.m. and concluded at 1:30 p.m., was the first in-person gathering of the Board since the Association’s offices were damaged by the five-alarm fire that lit up the skies of Raleigh the evening of March 16. Commissioner Bob Byrd of Alamance County serves on the Board as District 11 Director, representing Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Guilford, Randolph, and Rockingham Counties.

Commissioner Byrd is honored to be an active board member of the NCACC. He states, “In addition to voting on several items of business, I was pleased to provide input on legislation that is pending in the NC General Assembly that would regionalize local Departments of Social Services, and on legislation that would support our local school system.”

During the meeting, the Board took action to adopt a resolution recognizing the firefighters who responded to the massive fire, which displaced the Association to a temporary office location five miles from downtown Raleigh. The resolution will be presented during a special event to be held in May. The Board’s agenda also included a government relations report and update on NCACC President Fred McClure’s initiative on mental health and substance abuse.

Among the efforts of the Presidential Initiative is a “Leadership Forum on Opioid Abuse” project whereby all counties will be encouraged to host a local forum of elected officials to discuss how to address the opioid crisis. A pilot forum will be held in Davidson County May 5, and the project materials will be distributed statewide shortly thereafter.

Commissioner Byrd is very excited about holding a Leadership Forum on Opioid Abuse in Alamance County. He states, “Opioid abuse is a serious problem in Alamance County and across the state and nation. This Forum will fit right in with the work of our Stepping Up Initiative to reduce the number of persons with mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse in our jail.”

The Board meeting was held in the middle of a series of district meetings which are held throughout the state. They offer area county commissioners and management staff the opportunity to discuss with other county officials and NCACC staff any issues impacting their county. The last two scheduled meetings will be held in Halifax and Tyrrell Counties April 26^th and 27^th, respectively.

About the NCACC: The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) is the official voice of all 100 counties on issues being considered by the General Assembly, Congress and federal and state agencies. The Association provides expertise to counties in the areas of advocacy, research, risk management and education and leadership training.

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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATION

The Granite Mill, located at 114, 116, 122, 180, 218, 222, 224, and 226 East Main Street in Haw River, is being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places as a locally-significant textile industry and an important contributor to Haw River’s economy, as well as an architecturally significant collection of late nineteenth to mid-twentieth-century industrial design. The cotton spinning and weaving operation commenced in the mid-nineteenth century and continued until 1997. The complex includes a total of nineteen buildings and structures, fourteen of which are considered contributing.

The Alamance County Historic Properties Commission will hold a public hearing on this nomination on May 9, 2017, at 6:00 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room, at 124 W. Elm St., Graham. At this meeting the Historic Properties Commission will consider public comments and make a recommendation to the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office.

If you are unable to attend or have further questions about the nomination please contact the Alamance County Planning Department at 336-570-4053.

Granite Mill National Register Nomination

Alamance Parks is seeking your input. Share your feedback for a chance to win $100! The County’s Recreation & Parks Department is dedicated to offering quality programming and facilities. The Recreation & Parks Survey will help the county better understand the wants, needs, and satisfaction of our citizens. Please consider sharing a few minutes of your time to complete the survey. Your feedback will help provide the best parks and recreation experience for your community and if you choose to include your contact information, you will be entered in a raffle for $100.

The results of the survey will help guide the department’s choices in planning what facilities, parks, trails, and programs to develop in the future. It is also a critical component of securing grant funding that helps make new amenities possible.

SURVEY LINK: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/aprecparksurvey

Paper copies of the survey are available upon request. If you have questions you may email recinfo@alamance-nc.com or call Alamance Parks at (336) 229-2410. The survey will close midnight on March 31^st, 2017. Responses must be received by this date. Thank you!