A number of businesses are still keeping a close eye on the skies this weekend even as predictions now have Hurricane Joaquin staying offshore.
“We have had quite a few cancellations because people are finding it hard to travel in this weather,” said Bonni George, who works in guest services for the Hilton Wilmington Riverside on Water Street. “We are telling our guests to make sure their cars are parked away from the Riverwalk because that area can get wet. Most of our parking spots are fine though.”
Forecasts have shifted the path for Category 4 Hurricane Joaquin – now over the Bahamas – away from an East Coast landfall. Continued rain, rip currents and small craft advisories, however, associated with the storm still are expected.
More flooding, especially after several days of rain that has saturated the ground, is the main concern for local officials. New Hanover County, which will be under a state of emergency starting at 6 p.m. this evening, has a flood watch advisory in place until Monday morning.
Some still are keeping tabs on Hurricane Joaquin’s progress.
“We started monitoring it earlier this week and have folks in place to respond, and that hasn’t changed,” AT&T spokesman Josh Gelinas said Friday afternoon.
As part of its storm preparation plan, some of the things AT&T has done in recent days, according to officials, is install high-capacity back-up batteries at cell sites, put in more generators at critical cell towers and move electronics important to network operations above expected flood levels.
“Customers rely on us, especially during major storms,” Venessa Harrison, president of AT&T North Carolina said in a news release. “That’s why we practice readiness drills and simulations through the year. We do all we can to have our networks prepared when severe weather strikes.”
Soggy conditions and concerns over flooding hazards this week prompted a slew of cancellations and postponements for events, including one that was expected to draw out-of-town visitors and bring a post-summer bump in tourism spending.
Riverfest organizers made the call Thursday afternoon to not hold the large event this weekend because of the inclement weather and flooding in downtown. Riverfest, which is the area’s largest fall festival according to local tourism officials, will be rescheduled for some time in November, organizers said.
Weekend fundraisers ranging from a Pender County Relay for Life event to the Run for the Ta Tas race were bumped. The extended rain pushed back Dosher Memorial Hospital’s construction kickoff for a new health and wellness complex. And they’ll be no hooks hitting the water for the U.S. Open King Mackerel Tournament in Southport – at least not until later in the month.
But not everyone’s schedule has gotten more open because of the storm system.
Calls have started coming in to Disaster One, a Greensboro-based restoration services company with a location in Wilmington, said company officials, who added that they expect more through the weekend.
“We’ll definitely get some flooding calls. There'll be roof leaks to probably look at," said Brittany Butcher, account executive for the company, which among its services offers water extraction from flooded homes and damage mitigation.
Butcher said damage from wind-driven rain also could prompt calls.
“We’ll see that coming through the weekend even if we don’t get hit hard,” she said.
With branches around the state, the company is ready to reposition resources as needed, Butcher said.
“They're already anticipating if the weather gets worse to bring not only people but to bring equipment,” she said.
Other companies communicated with clients this week about storm prepration tips that aren't the most obvious, like storing water and checking flashlights.
“We talked with our customers in advance about turning off computers and making sure that everything’s organized and thought out,” said David Usher, franchise owner of CMIT Solutions of Wilmington. The technology company, which deals exclusively with commercial clients, wanted its customers to confirm they had backups of their files and to have a plan in place, rather than reacting if an outage or other storm-related situation arose.
“If you don’t think about it before, when the problem occurs, your mind gets so busy with everything, it’s hard to focus,” Usher said. “You need to run through different scenarios, so you don’t have to figure it out afterward.”
Jenny Callison contributed to this story.
