The fragile, sea-level terrain of the Outer Banks makes its infrastructure especially vulnerable when storms threaten. Local and state officials say a new assessment effort will help the Outer Banks and coastal communities become more resilient during future disasters.
North Carolina Emergency Management is partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to assess items of critical infrastructure that serve North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
Experts from the Solar Technical Assistance Team at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will evaluate a water treatment plant on Hatteras Island, a radio tower in Currituck County that provides critical emergency communications and the Hyde County Government Center, then make recommendations about how to keep these facilities operating during power outages.
“Keeping critical infrastructure in service during a disaster increases public safety and speeds response and recovery,” said Mike Sprayberry, state emergency management director. “Experts will review these facilities to find ways to make them even more reliable when a storm comes.”
Dare, Currituck and Hyde counties each selected one high–priority piece of critical county infrastructure to be included.
Dare County selected the Cape Hatteras Water Treatment Plant, which provides 2-million gallons of water daily, serving 5,500 customers on the southern end of Hatteras Island. It also provides the fire-fighting water for most of Hatteras Island. The water treatment plant is one of the primary power consumers, placing heavy demands on the local power grid even during clear weather.
Hyde County chose its government center in Swan Quarter, which houses critical administrative offices for the county including the emergency operations center that coordinates disaster response for the county.
Currituck County selected the Barco radio tower which holds some of the most critical pieces of the county’s public safety radio system and is the only county tower that supports the statewide VIPER radio system.
The NREL team will begin visiting the sites in late May to examine threats, vulnerabilities and risks associated with each location, then will model potential resilient power solutions tailored to each facility. Those recommendations could include solar, alternative energy or hybrid systems that work in conjunction with existing emergency power generation capabilities.