Emergency Operations at Wrightsville

Emergency Operations...
Why is this an important issue for TOWB?

At stake here is the Town government's ability to function through the challenges of catastrophic emergencies. Hurricanes, Tsunami, Tornado, Blackout, Grounded Ships and Marine Spills are all in the realm of possible. Not your every day occurrence (Thank God). Being able to cope with such events is a matter of planning, training and capabilities. This is how you minimize loss of life and property and enable getting life back to a normal. While the TOWB has an Emergency Operations Plan that is aligned with State, County and neighboring communities we have a few key elements that makes us more vulnerable to failure.

Wrightsville Beach is at sea level... we are surrounded by water...we have one bridge to get us to the mainland...any major tidal surge (whether hurricane or tsunami based) could catastrophically level us...in whole or in part.

The current TOWB plan is to move temporary government emergency operations to the attic of the First Citizens Bank, off Eastwood Road. Generally you don't go to the attic in a hurricane!This location may suffice in minor storms but, what is critical to understand, is the buildings structural design integrity for storms and that the surrounding area is not prone to flood. If the Town Government needs to evacuate, from the bank, there is no place to go...essentially the Government disbands until some time on the future. It is fundamental that you don't occupy a building that is not designed to handle the forces (the Attic???)...you evacuate!

So what does that mean...disband the government? It means, there is no government. We are each on our own! It means, that sometime after the storm we can hope that the TOWB Government can get back together physically and re-institute themselves and get Emergency Recovery Operations underway. As both Alderman Bill Sisson and Holiday Inn Owner Consultant Sue Bulluck have stated...Communication before, during and after is critical to minimize our loss.

The issue on the table for the TOWB Board of Alderman is deciding to fund the town's participation in the New Hanover County Emergency Operations Center.
The EOC is a storm proof designed facility (off Racine near Home Depot) capable of withstanding Category 2-3 storms. It is a leading edge communication center and it hosues both New Hanover County and City of Wilmington Emergency management staff. Proximity, Communication, Coordination..get the picture?

This is a contentious issue and has been for sometime. Previous boards have all sought other options to avoid paying the price, but to no avail. The options are nil and the County EOC represents a viable solution.

There are 3 options on the table:

1. Pay upfront $70k
2. Finance $70K at low interest (through the county or otherwise)
3. 10 year least (+/-)

There is not a 4th option to sustain the status quo it risks too much.

Thus far the current Board has not been able to agree on one of these options. The solution is at hand. It is no longer valid to let this issue drift as the consequences of not properly managing a catastrophic event are of life and death  and billion dollar magnitude. The video (in 2 parts) of this Alderman meeting where they fail to reach a decision will show you the stonewalling, living in the past, not stepping up to responsibilities and dealing with this strategic matter.

You can decide from this video who are the serious government officials and who are not. To use a George Will expression "it would take and expertly used precision calipher to determine" which of the 3 muddling Alderman demonstrate  the most ignorance, arrogance and stupidity on this matter.

You can not hide from the reality of the threat potential we face 

as a beach community... because the 

ocean is where hurricanes and tsunamis 

are born and amplified!

Video stream of TOWB BOA Mtg Sept 13, 2012 
Part 1 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovNP7dxVREw

Part 2

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAzG8R7CDvI&feature=player_detailpage

Don't let our world unravel. Thanks for reading. Please make a difference, contact our town government and let them know where you stand on strategic issues.

Neal Briggi and  the many members and supporters of the Henderson League for the Environment & Responsible Government

Further Relevant Emergency Management Information Below:

1.)YouTube Time Lapse of EOC during Hurricane Irene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9tLbmaw1UY
2.)New Hanover County Emergency Management
http://www.nhcgov.com/em911/Pages/default.aspx
3.)New hanover County Emergency Operations Plan (pdf 118 pages)
http://www.nhcgov.com/EM911/Documents/NHC%20EOP%20AUGUST%202011.pdf
4.Emergency Simulation Event in NHC Emergency Ops Center
http://www.wwaytv3.com/2012/05/01/1-month-to-go-emergency-agencies-practice-for-hurricane-season#.UGL_pbJlTa4
5.)New Hanover County Tsunami Ready Plan
http://www.townofkurebeach.org/Data/Sites/1/media/emergency/TsunamiReadyPlanNHC031008.pdf
6.)Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
https://www.citizencorps.gov/cc/showCert.do?id=43901
    "The New Hanover CERT Program's mission is to assist citizens in
becoming self-sufficient for up to 96 hours following a disaster"

Remembering 9/11

   
       The events of 9/11 were probably the most globally imapctful of our lifetime.. When you consider the life changing implications in the hours, days, months and now decade plus one year since, we are still living in the new world order of terrorism, intolerance and life is cheap.... just watch the TV or read the paper.

       The affect has rippled to all corners of the globe ,all cultures, all peoples, both directly and indirectly. No one has escaped some degree of consequence.

       Our challenge, as Americans a melting pot of many cultures, is to demonstrate to the world, how to cope and prosper and never diminish our fundamental values in doing so.

"e pluribus unum",,, out of many, one. Despite our many differences we are one in common ,,, we are people.

Think
Pray
Look Forward
Give Thanks 

WrightsvilleView Team

Peace....
Noah, Liz, Mike, Ned

OMG..it's over....we need a big bar of soap!

That's right... finally over, the silence is deafening! 

      The RNC and DNC are finished.

           These past 2 weeks of late nights, trying to stay awake to hear the platitudes and wisdom of of our national leadership, has been trying to say the least. and for what purpose?

         I have never seen so much taffy pulling of the facts. Stretching the numbers to fit the desired story line has gone beyond absurd. It has become deceitful. Do we all need to take internet training in "Fact Checking 101" to be prepared to speak with or listen to a politician? Something is seriously wrong here.

        A root cause of all this is the money. Yup! there's money to be made at every twist and turn in our political and governmental process. I guess, we the citizens, of the USA, lose out in all this CRAP. (a.k.a. CRAP).

   
Of course the people who could have made and sold the balloons for the indoor DNC finale Thursday night probably had it even worse.

The 4 ive's

           Hopefully the day of the high cost low value political convention extravaganza has taken it's last breathe. When you consider the money spent, the lack of any really valuable and decisive content, the divisive, derisive and contrisive  mood setting, how can we be proud of our American Political System? How can we even trust such a process  to be in our best interest?

            How can people intending to lead the country think that trash talking one another, and by warping the picture of reality to fit their agenda, make them leadership material.? Worse, how has their behavior affected us towards each other? Do we come away increasingly despising those holding a different view?

           It simply doesn't work! It equates, in total, to despicable moral standards and values. Yet, what is it we hear from their respective podiums and endless TV and radio ads? ..."blah, blah, blah...of high moral standards and family values...blah, blah, blah".

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 

            Let's face it if we lived our family lives as politicians live their political lives, we would be a dead society. The good news is that we the citizens are better than our politicians. Why do we tolerate it? Why do we accept it? Think about this....what if we citizens didn't watch TV for a week, didn't expose ourselves to their campaign ads, didn't answer their phone surveys?  What happens to the flow of money? Do you think we could have an effect? Do you think anyone would notice? Oh yeah baby! they would ... because the money for advertising is based on viewer/ listener statistics. and thus begat the news cycle... Lohan, Cruise, Obama, Romney, Biden and Ryan...Clint Eastwood and James Taylor and don't forget the potential rain fall over Bank of America Stadium  or was it lack of ability to fill the stadium seats for Thursday night that drove a decision to move indoors... did you know how much the respective 1st wives dresses cost?

It's all theater using the outcome of our future 

as some poetic point of persuasion.

      Where I come from, how I was raised, what I was taught is:

• You don't ever lie
• You don't even stretch the truth
• You don't omit facts that would change the conclusion 
• You step up and take consequences for your statements and your actions

 Or you get soap in your mouth! 

The news as they want it to be!

        We live in a complex and fast paced world where we not always have the full facts and understanding.  In the past, we have expected our "media" all of it ... newspapers, television, radio, internet etc. to help us "gain" that understanding by reporting the news. Good old uncovering the facts... let the chips fall where they may.

      It is truly unfortunate with information traveling every moment of 

            every day at the speed of light around the world ... the truth, the 

                whole truth and nothing but the truth often comes a day late and 

a dollar short and tattered.

        Unfortunately, what we continually get is bias reporting of what the various media outlets want the news to be. It can be obvious but at times very subtle ... watch and listen closely. It has to do with what questions they ask and what answers they will accept from each side (right vs. left). It has to do with the adverbs and adjectives they use to tell the story. It has to do with the focus they take with a story. It is all a complicit soup of politicians and favored media chasing the dollars... and as well those that feed off the the carcass of our elected government such as lobbyists/PAC's... and don't forget suppliers of government contracts, those that take advantage of earmarks and pork, that is.

       Frankly, there is not a piece of soap large enough to tame this dismal array of "gangsta's"

       Given the values displayed by our national candidates, I'm not sure what choice to make... so I suggest we all just go to bed and not watch TV for or week.

Are there any good people in government?

       Yes of course there are. They are the ones that ran for office to focus on the needs of the citizens and not on themselves. They are the ones who prepare themselves to fully understand a situation and develop their position and cast their vote with insight and impact. They see things through and they accept responsibility when things don't always hit their mark.

          In Wrightsville Beach we have two very good elected officials 
          in Mayor David Cignotti and Alderman Bill Sisson. They have 
       consistently and conscientiously demonstrated their focus is on the 
                                               needs of our citizens.

      With two new members joining the board, after last November's election, progress and productivity on the TOWB Board of Alderman have taken large steps backward. Each meeting has become an uphill climb to get the right issues on the table, let alone openly discussed and objectively decided. Why? Because three Alderman are not working openly with all members of the board, but rather as a group of three crippling the process of government.

      Whether national or local, government needs to be watched by it's citizens and prodded when it gets off track.  An important tool in watching government is to attend meetings or view the meeting via TV or internet.

The open availability of town meetings on video accomplishes many things:

1. It provides a full visual and audio record of the meeting
2. It provides the information to the citizens almost immediately
3. It shows the full discussion and engagement of the board members
4. It provides the citizens a window into the workings of their elected officials
5. It promotes the engagement of a broader swath of citizens into civic activities
6. It promotes teamwork between government and citizens
7. It helps to remove cynicism and doubt across the community

       Despite the recent effort by one citizen to record and stream the August 27th, TOWB BOA Meeting, we still don't have a sustainable high quality video recording /streaming solution. The leadership of our town... that is all five members of the Board need to step up and unify on this matter.

            The citizens want it; the citizens need it! 

"....ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...."

            Thanks for reading,

                 Liz & Noah

"U " can make a diffierence

"Impossible
to carry the World
on U'r shoulder"

IMPOSSIBILITIES IN THE WORLD

1. U can't count your hair 
2. U can't wash your eyes with soap 
3. U as an individual can't make a difference
4. U can't breathe when your tongue is out 

           Put your tongue back in, fool. 

10 Things I know about you... 

1) U are reading this 
2) U are human. 
3) U can't say the letter ''P'' without separating your lips 
4) U just attempted to do it 
6) U are laughing at yourself 
7) U have a smile on your face and you skipped No.5 
8) U just checked to see if there is a No.5 
9) U laugh at this because you are an idiot & everyone does it too. 
10) U are probably going to send this to see who else falls for it
11) U can make a difference, of course u can, see how...visit the          website link below by Danielle Richardet she is a very special citizen of Wrightsville.

Hook, Line & Sinker
 
     I have posted this because I didn’t want to feel alone in the “Idiot” category. I followed the above list every step of the way... hook line and sinker.  We all follow certain conventional behaviors, conventional wisdom. Its good to realize this, that we become creatures of habit. But, habits can change.

     I received an email today that contained most of the "Impossibilities" text above. I thought about it and I felt.... with some tweaking, Hey! I can connect this to "anything Wrightsville" which is my new "requirement" from Noah Bridges to be a part of this Wrightsville View Blog. I wish, I knew who to credit for this original piece, which has triggered my thoughts. Clearly the author understands a bit about human behavior. I could not resist to play some wisdom forward to U.

In all seriousness

     Seriously, we should not feel alone nor as if we are an idiot... and never for a moment feel as an individual,  we can't make a difference.

     So according to item No. 10 above, feel free to pass this link onto family, friends and co-workers or the world for that matter. 
            http://wrightsvilleview.blogspot.com/
      I really encourage you to visit  and play forward to your personal network, the work that Danielle Richardet has been up to, on all our behalf here in Wrightsville, because "U can make a difference". Her work is the great work of a great citizen. 
Thank you Danielle!
          http://itstartswithme-danielle.blogspot.com/
Thanks for Reading and please comment,   
Liz & Noah