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Rutherford County DSNAP response lauded as a 'model center'; board urges lessons learned after communication and shelter challenges
Summary
Rutherford County social services staff said their DSNAP disaster response issued millions in benefits and handled thousands of applicants, drawing USDA praise; board members pushed for an after-action plan after shelter problems, delayed Red Cross support and widespread communications outages.
Erika Hunt, director of Rutherford County Department of Social Services, told the board Oct. 30 that county staff issued roughly $2,441,000 through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP) and about $1,400,000 in replacement benefits during the October disaster response, and that the office handled 3,607 on-site walk-ins while more than 1,000 people applied online.
"The USDA coined Rutherford County as a model center," Hunt said, adding that state officials want to replicate the county's setup elsewhere in North Carolina. An agency official who oversaw DSNAP operations said partner counties and staff helped process a high volume of applications and that the county advocated for extra time to complete electronic applications.
Why it matters: County staff said the large DSNAP operation markedly increased demand on economic services and revealed gaps in emergency shelter readiness and communications. Board members described first-night shortages of supplies and said phone and cellular networks (including FirstNet) failed in some areas during the storm, hampering response and coordination.
Committee members pressed for concrete follow-ups. A board member who recounted the shelter experience described broad communication failures: "Communication was a failure," the committee member said, noting that residents and some first responders lacked timely information and that cell towers and other systems went dark. Members proposed compiling a formal lessons-learned report, identifying supply gaps in local shelter sites and pursuing partnerships with jurisdictions experienced in disaster response.
Hunt said the county will use a recently acquired local-government disaster guide and will assemble agencies and stakeholders to draft a plan intended to keep Rutherford County operational in the days immediately after future disasters. "We became workers and we got it done," Hunt said, describing how staff used social channels to coordinate donated blankets, food and other supplies until larger partners arrived.
Board actions at a glance: The board adopted the meeting agenda (motion by the member identified as Committee member; second by Erika Hunt) and approved the prior meeting's minutes (motion by Committee member; second by Erika Hunt). The meeting adjourned on a motion by Committee member and second by Erika Hunt.
What’s next: Staff said they will compile after-action notes, share best practices with the state and explore improved shelter inventories and communications redundancies in advance of future incidents.
