Storm Preparedness

Although Florence has been downgraded to a tropical storm, severe storm effects are still expected in coming hours in our immediate area.
Most of you have no doubt spent the past few days preparing for the impact of the storm reaching our area, but out of an abundance of caution, we’d like to share some basic preparedness information in the event some important steps have been overlooked due to busy lives that didn’t pause while the storm barreled in.
Please make appropriate plans for both potential POWER LOSS and WATER LOSS and those in lower lying areas in the community should be vigilant as water levels from nearby Buffalo Creek may rise to historic levels into those lower lying areas of our community.
Ridgeview and Zemosa Acres are full of trees and there is always a potential with a major storm for trees to fall and block outside access by vehicle, even if roads outside the community are not closed or flooded.
Furthermore, water mains could become damaged and your home could not only lose power, but also lose access to a safe drinking water source or even lose all water pressure entirely.
After contacting Carolina Water Service, this is the response I received from their Supervisor: “Trees being uprooted or a water main break can result in a no water situation. If the city has no power there may be a no water situation. Storms like this really hold a large unknown factor and all safety precautions that can be taken should be.”
So to prepare, you want to be sure that if you don’t have access to enough bottled water to make it through the several days that it is possible for us to be without safe drinking water, then while you still have safe running water, please fill water pitchers and other clean vessels that you can use for drinking water.
It is also advisable to fill bathtubs so that you will have access to water to flush toilets, bathe, wash clothes, etc. It is not advisable to use bathtub water for drinking.
NEVER USE OUTDOOR COOKING DEVICES/GRILLS INDOORS as they can quickly result in fatal carbon monoxide poisoning, not to mention creating an extreme risk of fire.
Please place flashlights in an accessible location and assure that you have fresh batteries so that you will be able to safely see within your home at night. If you must use candles, again to prevent risk of fire, DO NOT LEAVE THE ROOM WITH CANDLES BURNING. We must be certain not to put ourselves or our neighbors in danger of turning a storm emergency into a fire emergency.
Staying informed with current information from local media and keeping your emergency contact informed of potential concerns is advisable. If you do not have phone battery chargers, you car may be your best bet for keeping your mobile devices charged so that you can access local media apps and streaming services for the most current information about potential dangers the storm may represent.
We hope all our Ridgeview neighbors make it through the storm safely with power and water service unaffected, but being prepared will lessen the impact if we’re not so lucky.
Best to all.
Ridgeview Association Board