On Monday afternoon, a crew from Pine Valley Construction Co. worked on storm preparations on the corner of Water and Chestnut streets in downtown Wilmington.

The workers from the Wilmington-based company installed rails for flood panels on the glass storefronts at River Place, a 13-story mixed-use development in the city's Central Business District. 

If rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby causes the Cape Fear River to overflow onto Water Street, the panels will keep the water from flooding tenants on the bottom floor of River Place. Those tenants include Mellow Mushroom, Axis Fitness and Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

Debby made landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday morning, dropping more than 10 inches of rain on some parts of the state’s Gulf Coast and knocking out power to 300,000 customers, according to news reports. 

On Monday, National Weather Service officials in Wilmington said heavy rainfall, potentially eight to 12 inches, would likely result in “life-threatening flash flooding across portions of northeast SC and southeast NC this week given how slow Debby will be moving.” 

Their forecast confidence was high regarding heavy rainfall and flash flooding but moderate in other areas, such as tornado risk.

“Other impacts are expected include wind gusts to tropical storm force and some surge – it’s too early for specific details at this time given some forecast uncertainty beyond Wednesday,” according to an NWS email.

On social media, government officials throughout New Hanover County encouraged residents to prepare for the potential impacts of Debby, which remained a tropical storm as of 2:30 p.m. Monday.

The mayor of Carolina Beach, Lynn Barbee, announced on Facebook Monday morning that each town department was preparing for all possibilities related to Debby.

The mayor wrote, “The town has an emergency response plan that has been designed over many years of experience and is routinely practiced by each department. Although no emergency has been declared, there is a flurry of preparation activity in case that may happen.”

He added the same caveat about uncertainty that has been part of National Weather Service briefings.

“Rain continues to be the primary concern, but this storm is somewhat aimless, and the situation could change,” Barbee wrote.

On New Hanover County Emergency Management’s Facebook page, officials warned, “If you’re uneasy about the possibility of power outages or flooding, take action to ensure your safety and that of your loved ones and pets. Don’t base your decisions on past experiences or what others are doing. Each storm is unique.”

In an emailed update around 1 p.m. Monday, Brunswick County officials said the county’s emergency operations center was at “Level 3 (Enhanced Monitoring), with staff actively monitoring and preparing for the storm and expected impacts.”

In downtown Wilmington, the economic development agency Wilmington Downtown Inc. helps businesses prepare for upcoming storms, stated Christina Haley, president and CEO of WDI, in an email on Monday.

“Our support encompasses assisting businesses and residents with storm preparations, helping clear right-of-ways of sidewalk café furniture and sandwich board signs, and providing motorist assistance by informing patrons about flooding-prone areas such as sections of Water Street,” she said.

Through WDI’s municipal services district (MSD) contract with the city of Wilmington, “we operate our MSD Ambassador’s program and Unhoused Street Outreach Program, implementing a comprehensive action plan for weather events that pose extreme hazardous conditions in the downtown district,” Haley said. “This includes engaging with both businesses and residents, as well as those unhoused on the streets.”

Haley said if shelter is available for the unhoused, WDI’s Street Outreach Coordinator informs individuals of shelter locations and arranges transportation to the shelters when possible.

In Sept. 2018, the flooding from Hurricane Florence had some of the worst effects on the Wilmington area. According to the NWS, those floods closed roads and inundated neighborhoods from Sept. 14 to 15.

“The Northchase neighborhood was particularly hard hit with up to three feet of water entering homes,” the NWS website states. “350 water rescues were performed in the Wrightsboro and Ogden communities during the flash flooding.”

City of Wilmington officials shared what typically occurs a day or two before storms hit the city.

“Crews will go around town clearing out storm drains in problem areas to help reduce flooding when heavy rains begin,” according to an email from the city’s communications office. “We’ll have staff out placing barricades near places prone to flooding so the barricades can quickly be put out if streets start flooding. Staff will also be positioning equipment such as pumps and generators at various locations around town.

“Lastly, staff in all of our departments will be activating their emergency response plans, and crews will be on standby to respond as needed.”