Tropical Storm Helene After Action Review

Tropical Storm Helene had an unprecedented impact across North Carolina. The storm's unusual track and intensity created extraordinary challenges, testing North Carolina's emergency management capabilities beyond any previous experience.

To help understand the response efforts by the State Emergency Response Team and to improve upon the processes for the next event, North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) commissioned a third-party after-action review of the preparedness and response phases of Tropical Storm Helene. The McChrystal Group conducted interviews and surveys with public safety and emergency response agencies across the impacted communities, as well as the state agency representatives, to gather crucial insights into both the response efforts strengths and opportunities for improvement. 

Notable successes in the response:

  • Local Alert Systems: Effective local alert systems saved countless lives across the area of impact.
  • SAR Operations: Comprehensive and well-organized search and rescue (SAR) operations ran continuously in an extremely challenging operating environment.
  • EMAC System: Strong mutual aid support flowed into the state to support response efforts through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).
  • First Responder Support: Successful rollout and adoption of the Responder Assistance Initiative provided crucial emergency responder mental health support. 

 

Critical Areas in the Response

In each of the Critical Areas, the assessment team developed recommendations focused on strengthening core capabilities while building long-term resilience.

Helene first responders hold up an American flag

Critical Area #1: SERT Organization and Staffing

Key Challenges:

  1. A lack of adequate staffing to sustain 24-hour operations in the SEOC, RCC West, and at the local and county levels.
  2. The SEOC lacks robust and consistent support from state agencies.
  3. There is insufficient coordination, cross-training, and focused exercises between functional areas.
  4. There is an overreliance on federal grant funding, specifically the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG), for positions at the state level.

Recommendations:

  1. Develop a comprehensive staffing strategy to recruit and retain experienced emergency services staff.
  2. Review and revise the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) to update and expand the state agencies’ roles and responsibilities.
  3. Expand cross-functional training programs, just-in-time training resources and expand opportunities for relationship building at all levels.
  4. Identify and leverage more sustainable long-term funding for state emergency operations outside of federal grant funding.
     

Critical Area #2: Interoperability, Communications, and Data

Key Challenges:

  1. Breakdown in the communication systems and PACE program, including the overload of the Voice Interoperability Plan for Emergency Responders (VIPER) system and insufficient satellite based communication to meet operational demands.
  2. Lack of system interoperability between different functions in the field, across state agencies, and non-state partners, which contributed to a loss of situational awareness.
  3. Challenges with data handling, information intake, and visualizing and sharing relevant operational updates in a timely fashion to influence situational awareness and decision-making. 21% of survey respondents reported communications processes as a top priority to improve for future responses
  4. Disinformation and conflicting information were not effectively countered, leading to impacts on response efforts, reduced trust in official messaging, and increased stress and burnout among responders.
     

Recommendations:

  1. Enhance technical infrastructure by expanding and modernizing emergency communications infrastructure by upgrading the state VIPER network and deploying LEO satellite capabilities, ensuring improved system resilience, interoperability, and capacity for high-traffic scenarios.
  2. Enhanced interagency coordination by implementing comprehensive training and exercise programs educating on cross-agency coordination and system interoperability, with an emphasis on ensuring local emergency managers are comfortable running all their functions without any communications for up to 72 hours.
  3. Improve the Information Management systems by developing a centralized database system with dashboard capability to facilitate real-time information sharing and coordination that can be accessed by all SERT partners and integrates data from all mission-critical systems.
  4. Preparing for and countering disinformation by strengthening PIO capacity by building a more robust and reliable PIO network across all levels of government and state agencies, with specialized training in crisis communication.
     

Critical Area #3: Logistics and Resource Allocation

Key Challenges:

  1. Inefficient resource management due to fragmented tracking systems, redundant data entry, inadequate WebEOC training, and overwhelming request volume.
  2. Technology system failures stemming from poor system performance, limited integration, low user adoption, and insufficient technical support.
  3. Supply chain deficiencies including inadequate pre-positioning, distribution bottlenecks, poor resource visibility, competing resource needs, and inefficient and overwhelmed emergency procurement processes.
     

Recommendations:

  1. Enhance resource management capabilities to strengthen operational visibility and control through comprehensive accountability and efficient resource utilization throughout deployment cycles via technology-enabled resource request tracking, automated inventory tracking and reordering protocols for critical supplies.
  2. Integrate technological enablers of operations and logistics functions, beginning with WebEOC's resource request capabilities and integration between WebEOC, iCAM, and related systems, supported by comprehensive staff training programs and dedicated technical support teams to ensure consistent system utilization during crisis response.
  3. Increase supply chain resilience through expanded identification of strategic pre-positioning locations across western North Carolina and standardization of staging area procedures, creation of more pre-negotiated procurement agreements, and implementation of redundant communication protocols to maintain operations during network disruptions.
     

Success in implementing these improvements will require sustained commitment from leadership at all levels of North Carolina’s emergency management system, adequate resource allocation, and regular assessment of progress. This after-action review represents a crucial opportunity to strengthen North Carolina's emergency management enterprise through systematic improvement of core capabilities. The lessons learned from Tropical Storm Helene, combined with the implementation of these recommendations, will be essential in building a more robust and resilient emergency management system for the future.