THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, April 9, 1996 TAG: 9604100556
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
With the howling winds of hurricane season just around the corner, Dare County emergency management officials and the tourism industry are exploring ways to improve communication capability in a crisis.
Sandy Sanderson, director of emergency operations for Dare County, said his office is looking at new technologies that will mean greater efficiency in sharing information with the population.
``Both the Dare County Tourist Bureau and the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce have a phone system accessible by us,'' Sanderson said. ``They have a toll-free number that people can call to get information. Right now, that information has to be put in the system manually. But working with Carolina Telephone, we hope to be able to update information from here at the emergency operations center. That will help us give callers more up-to-the-minute information.''
Sanderson said the county is also exploring the use of interactive television, linking emergency operation centers on Hatteras Island and the Dare County mainland.
``We're looking at video-conferencing as a way to tie our offices on Hatteras and Manteo together,'' Sanderson said. ``It would also enable the mayors in the municipalities to stay in their towns and still get the information they need to make decisions.''
In the past, Sanderson said, the local Civil Air Patrol provided traffic flow information via telephone to emergency officials. However, with the use of a new aerial camera, coupled with interactive television, officials would be able to get a first-hand look at any traffic problems in an evacuation. North Carolina and Virginia Department of Transportation officials are working on ways to better manage traffic flow.
``One of the few glitches we had during the Felix evacuation was that some of the traffic lights on the main route were not switched to the yellow caution,'' Sanderson said. ``Traffic on the main roads have the right of way, and we want to restrict entrance from the side streets. We've worked with the Highway Patrol to alleviate that.''
Last August, about 200,000 people evacuated the Outer Banks in 14 hours.
``We had a few problems,'' Sanderson said. ``There are always little glitches. We had a situation where some information got out that N.C. 12 from Hatteras was closed, and that the only way off was via Ocracoke. We finally were able to let people know that they could get off the island via N.C. 12, but their tires would get a little wet. All in all, it was very successful.''
Local officials also expect to get a helping hand from a study expected to be completed in 1998. The information is being gathered by the National Hurricane Center, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
``Hopefully the study will provide us with a good cross-section of information,'' Sanderson said.
Sanderson was part of a delegation of local government and business leaders who attended last week's National Hurricane Conference in Orlando. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
HURRICANE STUDY
Local officials also expect to get a helping hand from a study
expected to be completed in 1998.
The information is being gathered by the National Hurricane Center,
the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the
Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers.
by CNB