This was a scary Saturday in North Carolina. We saw some of the worst weather ever recorded or experienced by meteorologists, pilots, and other professionals who track weather with more than just a glance out the window. As of this Monday morning, WRAL.com reported that 22 people were killed, 130 injured across the state due to storm-related causes. According to Julia Jarema, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, the fatalities occurred in Wake, Johnston, Cumberland, Harnett, Lee, Bertie and Bladen counties.
In addition to the human toll, hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed, and thousands more were damaged. According to an article in The New York Times:
When the system hit North Carolina on Saturday night, it spawned a record 92 tornadoes in the state. At least 14 deaths were in Bertie and Hertford Counties, in a rural northeast corner of the state where cotton, tobacco, peanuts, corn and soybeans anchor the economy.
“Normally the storms that hit here are pretty severe but smaller in size,” said Cal Bryant, the editor of The Roanoke-Chowan News Herald, which serves a part of North Carolina that was most severely hit. “Now they are thinking it may have been one big tornado. They’re trying to find where it stopped, and they haven’t got there yet.”
Prepare Now for Future Tornados
While we may never see anything like Saturday’s storm system again, even a single tornado can do significant damage. Experts recommend planning in advance for bad weather, and to keep a checklist of action items on hand. We’ve scoured the Internet and found these terrific resources and checklists. They all offer valuable information, each slightly different from the others. Bookmark these pages on your computer, but print them as well—if a tornado knocks out power in your area, you won’t be able to access the Internet. (Click the items to be taken directly to the webpage.)
FEMA Emergency Preparedness Checklist
QuakeKare Tornado Preparedness
iTunes App Store: A great app for iPhone or iPad is inSured – Inventory My Property. This app allows you to keep track of Property (including serial numbers, photos, date of purchase, etc.), insurance carriers (contact information), and warranty information. In the event that your home is damaged in a tornado or other severe weather event, you’ll want to have a record of all that information.
Please share this information with your family and friends, and watch for more health and safety information on our website, www.hensonfuerst.com. Remember, if you have questions, HensonFuerst has answers.
