Dare County officials are using new technology, an informational video and informative displays to help residents and visitors better understand the risks of storm surge.
Implemented by the Dare County Emergency Management, more than two-dozen storm surge awareness poles and displays explaining the risks have been installed from Duck to Hatteras Village. The county has partnered with the National Weather Service on the public education effort.
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The 12-foot storm surge awareness pole is painted in different colors to illustrate how high the Atlantic Ocean and Albemarle, Pamlico and Currituck sounds could potentially rise above the ground when storm surge occurs. Blue represents 1-3 feet of storm surge, yellow 3-6 feet, orange 6-9 feet and red 9-12 feet.
In addition, a dozen flood gauges were installed throughout Dare County to provide citizens access to critical information regarding changing water levels in specific geographic locations in real time.
Once accepted by state officials, the 12 flood gauges will become a part of North Carolina Emergency Management’s Flood Inundation Mapping and Alert Network, or FIMAN. FIMAN is North Carolina Emergency Management’s rain, stream, weather and flooding risk information website, created to gather and disseminate rain and flood-stage gauge data, provide real-time flood inundation maps and alerts, provide better information about flooding risks and impacts and prevent and reduce the loss of life and property.