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THE DAVEY BULLETIN
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November/December 2018
FLOODING FROM HURRICANE FLORENCE'S RECORD RAINFALL,
STORM SURGE POSED CHALLENGE FOR UTILITY CREWS
Davey Utility crews responded to five utilities working to
restore power in the wake of Hurricane Florence, which
killed 53 people and dumped 30 inches of rain on one
North Carolina community in September.
A total 235 Davey employees responded, comprising 88
crews, to assist clients Duke Energy, Four County Electric
Membership Corporation, Jones-Onslow Electric Membership
Corporation, Horry Electric Cooperative and South River
Electric Membership Corporation as they worked to turn
the lights back on. The Category 1 storm made landfall near
the North Carolina and South Carolina border on Sept. 14.
Davey's response was largely isolated to the eastern-shore
areas of North and South Carolina. There, a combination
of record storm surge and rivers swollen with record rains
flooded roadways – making it difficult to get crews in to
some of the hardest hit areas.
Luther Sanderson, supervisor, Jones-Onslow account,
said flooding posed the biggest obstacle for crews.
"Everywhere we went we were dealing with water,"
Sanderson said. "The crews were great. The client we
work with was great. We communicated well with one
another. Everything I saw went perfectly."
William Gray, general foreman, Jones-Onslow account,
said crews felt like they were in a maze trying to navigate
flood waters to help restore power.
"We knew the area, so we took some of the out-of-towners
and rode them around different roads until you got to the
other side of the flooding where it was possible to work,"
Gray said.
The storm slammed into the coast in Wilmington, North
Carolina, and then stalled out, dumping an incredible 30
inches of rainfall on Swansboro, North Carolina, within 24
hours of landfall. Newport and Emerald Isle, North Carolina,
both saw 23 inches of rainfall in the same period. Numerous
other communities in both states recorded double-digit
rainfall amounts.
Gray said the storm created an unusual scenario where the
record storm surge forced water upstream as the heavy
rains sent floodwaters rushing downstream. As a result,
the waters crashed over the banks of many large rivers.
Hurricane Florence dumped several feet of rain on communities
in the Carolinas, setting rainfall records up and down the coasts of
both states. Here the eye of the massive storm is captured by a satellite
as it approaches the East Coast. Photo credit: Alexander Gerst / Fotolia
MISSION
