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Officials proclaim local emergency as Tropical Depression 2 approaches
Summary
Local officials approved a proclamation of a local emergency and partially activated the emergency operations center as Tropical Depression 2—expected to become Tropical Storm Bertha—approached, citing gusty winds and a potential 2–4 foot coastal surge; no evacuations or shelters were recommended at this time.
Local officials voted to proclaim a local emergency as Tropical Depression Number 2 approached the coast and briefed on preparedness measures and potential impacts.
An agency official told the board that the National Hurricane Center had issued advisories and placed the area under a tropical storm watch beginning at 10:00 a.m., and that the system—about 200 miles off the Florida coast—was forecast to intensify and could be named Tropical Storm Bertha later the day. "It is still not yet named tropical storm Bertha, but it is forecast to continue to slowly intensify and should get its name later today," the agency official said.
The official said the emergency operations center (EOC) had gone to partial activation and that incident management team members would staff essential roles on a minimal posture. "We're not gonna need to fill every seat in there," the agency official said, adding that section chiefs and branch directors would bring in necessary personnel for coordination.
On specific impacts, the official said the main near-term concerns were gusty winds and coastal surge rather than heavy inland rainfall. "We are expecting gusty winds Tuesday night or through Wednesday, probably in the 30 to 40 miles an hour range," the official said, and forecast a peak surge "between 2 and 4 feet" along the beach. He added that most rain was expected to remain offshore and that the flood risk was lower than the recent record river flooding from about four weeks earlier, though localized flash flooding remained possible.
When asked whether construction materials at Jim Simpson Pier posed a risk, the agency official replied that responsibility rested with the contractor and that most staging appeared inside the seawall; the official said the board should be most concerned about items left directly on the beach.
Based on the forecast, the agency official recommended not activating evacuation zones or shelters at the time of the briefing but recommended preparing equipment and securing loose items. The official also said sandbag self-serve sites at the county work center could be activated by the road manager if the board approved that step.
After the briefing, the presiding member moved to proclaim the local emergency; the motion was seconded and approved on a voice vote. The board then discussed staffing plans for the response, with the agency official saying EOC staffing would be limited to daylight hours and that daily incident action plans would list needed personnel by name for approval by the administrator and the road manager.
Members agreed to reconvene as needed and voted to recess the meeting until the next day to remain available for storm developments. The board set a 1:00 p.m. coordination briefing for the storm team and city partners.
