Flood Response:

Role of Haw River Assembly & Haw Riverkeeper

As the Riverkeeper organization for our watershed, Haw River Assembly plays a crucial role in flood response and recovery through our Haw Riverkeeper program:

Water Quality Monitoring & Public Safety

  • Conduct immediate post-flood water quality assessments

  • Provide emergency well testing for private wells (following Chantal, nearly half of tests showed positive for coliform bacteria)

  • Monitor waterways for contamination, safety hazards, litter and pollution in our river.

  • Issue public advisories about water safety conditions and resources for the community.

Community Liaison & Communication

  • Serve as a bridge between community members and government agencies

  • Communicate findings to first responders, health departments and local agencies

  • Follow up with officials about community needs identified through our work

  • Coordinate information sharing using multiple communication channels (email, phone, Signal, face-to-face, social media with Instagram and Facebook)

Documentation & Advocacy

  • Map debris and environmental impacts

  • Document flood damage and recovery needs

  • Provide public education about flood impacts and water safety

  • Advocate for community needs with local government

Local Government Agency & Municipality Roles

Our watershed spans eight counties. Alamance County, Caswell County, Chatham County, Durham County, Guilford County, Orange County, Rockingham County and Wake County 

NC Emergency Management Preparation and Resources: https://www.readync.gov/ 

Here are key agencies and their roles during flood events:

Emergency Management

  • Coordinate disaster response and recovery efforts

  • Activate emergency shelters and evacuation procedures

  • Manage resource allocation and mutual aid requests

Public Works Departments

  • Clear roads and repair infrastructure

  • Manage stormwater systems and drainage

  • Coordinate debris removal from public areas

Health Departments

  • Monitor public health threats from flooding

  • Provide guidance on water safety and sanitation

  • Coordinate medical needs and emergency health services

Environmental Health

  • Inspect and assess private wells and septic systems

  • Monitor environmental contamination

  • Issue health advisories related to flood impacts

**For current contact information for emergency management, public works, health departments and environmental health in each county, visit the respective county government websites or call 211 for assistance.

Community Recovery Organizations

Multiple nonprofit and community organizations provide critical recovery support:

Local Recovery Groups

Regional Resources

Specialized Support

  • NC faith-based organizations - Often provide shelter, food, and volunteer coordination

  • Community foundations - Emergency grants and financial assistance

  • NC Legal Aid - Help with insurance claims and disaster-related legal issues

For the most current list of active recovery organizations and their specific services, contact 211 or check with your local emergency management office.

How These Organizations Work Together

During flood events, effective response requires coordination between:

  • Riverkeeper organizations providing environmental monitoring and community liaison services

  • Government agencies handling emergency response and infrastructure repair

  • Community organizations addressing immediate human needs and long-term recovery

  • Residents sharing information about conditions and needs in their neighborhoods

Getting Help or Information:

  • Call 211 for referrals to current disaster relief resources

  • Contact your county emergency management office for official updates

  • Follow Haw River Assembly social media and website for water quality updates and environmental information

  • Connect with local mutual aid and community recovery groups for neighborhood-level support

Are you on a well? A general rule of thumb is this: If you pay a public water utility for your water, you are more than likely not on a well. If you pay a public utility, please contact them to inquire about your water safety alerts. ** If you are a renter and are unsure, please contact your property owner.

Road Closures: With flooding and road closures resulting from major weather events, visit DriveNC.Gov before you leave home to check the roadway conditions in your community. 

Sanitary Sewer Overflows: Sanitary sewer overflows occur when raw sewage escapes from the sanitary sewer system before it reaches a treatment facility. These overflows are more common during heavy rain when there is too much stormwater entering the city’s system. When an SSO happens, untreated sewage may flow into streets, basements, streams, or other environments, posing serious health risks and environmental hazards. It can contaminate drinking water sources and threaten aquatic life. To see reports of SSOs in your area, check the NC Emergency Services Dashboard.

Private Well Safety: If you have a private well, flooding can contaminate and damage drinking water wells. To ensure your well has not been impacted and is safe to use, check out this guide from NC State on how to inspect, purge, and disinfect after flooding.

Water Levels: Use the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) website to look at real-time water conditions across the United States.

Flooding & Storm Related Information From Cities & Counties In The Haw River Watershed:

Directly after July 4th, Chantal:

Appendix: Haw River Assembly's Response to Tropical Storm Chantal

What We Did Directly After Chantal: First Response Actions

Following Tropical Storm Chantal's devastating impact on our watershed - a one-in-one-thousand-year flooding event - Haw River Assembly immediately mobilized our emergency response:

Immediate Public Safety Communication

  • Issued urgent warnings about flood water contact and contamination risks

  • Provided guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE) for cleanup crews and residents

  • Distributed safety information across social media, reaching thousands in our 8-county watershed

  • Coordinated messaging with local emergency management agencies

Emergency Water Quality Assessment

  • Deployed post-flood water quality monitoring

  • Hosted emergency well testing sites for those one private wells across affected areas

  • Discovered nearly half of tested wells showed positive results for coliform bacteria

  • Issued public advisories about water safety and contamination risks

  • Shared findings with health departments and emergency officials

Community Coordination & Resource Mobilization

  • Activated and connected with our network of community partners across the Triangle and beyond

  • Shared our community’s information including connected residents with emergency shelters, mutual aid groups and recovery resources

  • Coordinated communications with organizations like Triangle Mutual Aid, SaxFwd and Democracy Green 

  • Helped with volunteer coordination and clean-up efforts

  • Helped to provide information from government agencies

Documentation & Advocacy

  • Created maps for identifying debris and environmental impacts throughout the watershed

  • Shared municipal information about damage, including bridge collapses and road washouts

  • Conducted aerial photography of flooding impacts with South Wings

  • Advocated for and created resource pages for immediate emergency contacts and long-term resilience planning

Ongoing Recovery Support

  • Maintained communication channels with first responders and county agencies

  • Continued environmental monitoring throughout the recovery period

  • Supported community-led recovery efforts via communications for heavily affected areas

  • Provided ongoing updates to residents about water safety and environmental conditions

Lessons Learned from Chantal

What Worked Well:

  • Rapid mobilization of water quality testing for wells

  • Strong existing community organizations enabled fast coordination for flood victims recovery

  • Social media platforms effectively reached thousands with urgent safety information

  • (We can fill in more here)

Areas for Improvement:

  • Need for pre-positioned emergency well testing supplies

  • Importance of multi-language communication for safety warnings

  • Improve contamination communications and resources beyond social media with victims who don’t have power, phone access, internet, etc. 

  • Value of pre-established communication protocols with all county emergency management offices

    • Establish partnerships with health departments to facilitate quick information sharing

  • Need for better coordination systems between watershed-spanning organizations

  • Constant improvement of our recognition of mental health impacts on our community 

  • (We can fill in more here)

Impact Data:

  • More than 30,000 residents lost power during the event

  • Businesses were destroyed and homes experienced flooding up to 7 feet deep

  • Multiple bridge and road infrastructure failures across the watershed

  • Several confirmed fatalities in our community

  • Widespread well contamination affecting private water supplies