NC Department of Public Safety releases Helene After Action review
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Hurricane Helene left an unprecedented impact in North Carolina.
The storm ravaged the western part of the state, damaging homes, buildings and roads.
Seven months after the storm, the state is releasing a review of response efforts.
The NC Department of Public Safety released this report done by an outside firm, the McChrystal Group.
They looked at three areas: organization and staffing of the state emergency response team, communications, and logistics and resources allocation.
Some of the challenges they saw were adequate staffing to sustain 24-hour operations. The group recommended that they develop a strategy to recruit and retain workers.
The review also talks about an overreliance on federal grant funding, specifically the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) for positions at the state level and recommends long-term funding for state emergency operations outside of federal grant funding.
The group also discussed challenges with disinformation and conflicting information and managing resources.
Despite the challenges, the report says there were a number of response efforts that were successful, including the effectiveness of local alert systems, search and rescue operations and first responder support.
You can view the full review here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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