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Focus On...Hurricane Ophelia
As Hurricane Ophelia approached North Carolina's coast, vivid memories of hurricanes Floyd and Katrina began to surface. UNC-TV looked at Hurricane Ophelia and the impacts the storm had on Eastern North Carolina. The hurricane made landfall in the evening of September 14, 2005, in the Carteret County area.
The show allowed viewers across North Carolina to hear first hand accounts from viewers calling in from Eastern North Carolina on conditions there, as well as to get the latest emergency information from state officials, health and weather experts. The program also provided viewers with contact information for addressing any problems they may have encountered as a result of Ophelia.
Joining host Shannon Vickery in the studio was Dr. Sethu Raman, the state climatologist. Dr. Raman discussed how the speed of the storm would affect flooding and wind damage, and he offered his experience on similar hurricanes and the damage they caused. Dr. Lou Turner, the interim public health preparedness coordinator, joined the pair by satellite and discussed the public health issues after a hurricane, such as sanitation, food safety, and injuries; and explained what the state public health office would do after Hurricane Ophelia was over.
In addition, several regional coordinators phoned in to discuss their county's strategies for dealing with Ophelia's aftermath and reported on conditions at the time of broadcast. Offering their expertise were George Sullivan, the Eastern Branch Regional Coordinator; Jim Cantore with the Weather Channel; Mike Hughes with Progress Energy; Barry Porter with the American Red Cross, Triangle Chapter; Huey Marshall with the Brunswick County Emergency Management; and Mitchell Byrd with Bladen County Emergency Management. Several viewers called in as well, especially from the Brunswick County area, responding to a question from a viewer who wanted to know the conditions in Leland.
Emergency management personnel and viewers reported that the storm was very slow-moving and had already dumped several inches of rain on areas of southeastern North Carolina, making its way to the northeastern part of the state. Hughes reported that New Hanover County had already experienced power outages but assured that Progress Energy was already remedying the problem.
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