When you take a job with a local government working with its Water Resources Department, you probably don’t plan on doing recovery work in another part of the state; however, a group of City of Greensboro Water Resources workers was doing just that in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
After the storm struck on Friday, Sept. 27, the City of Greensboro Water Resources Department acted quickly to do what it could for the western part of the state.
Department Director Mike Borchers and Operations Manager Patrick Smith submitted the needed paperwork to NCWaterWARN and got permission to provide aid to affected areas in western North Carolina.
After forming plans and getting equipment and materials together, a team of 15 department employees – including Smith – traveled to Black Mountain, North Carolina on the Monday following the storm.
The team’s number one priority upon arrival was to help restore one of the town’s main water distribution lines.
The repairs in Black Mountain were done swiftly and the team then moved north to Bakersville – a small North Carolina town with a population of less than 500. Although that small town had three wells, flooding from the hurricane severely damaged its water distribution system, leaving the residents with no running water.
According to a press release this week from the city, “Despite the quick response, the Greensboro team faced significant and unforeseen challenges. The flooding had devastated critical infrastructure, including the main road through Bakersville, which ran over Cane Creek. Extremely difficult travel and poor access throughout the area complicated recovery efforts and restoration logistics.”
The team of helpers from Greensboro discovered that Bakersville’s water and sewer assets weren’t mapped in a geographic information system – something that could have significantly delayed the recovery effort. Fortunately, however, Bakersville Town Maintenance Supervisor Jamison Burleson had a very extensive knowledge of the town’s water infrastructure and that allowed the team from Greensboro to navigate most of the challenges.
City of Greensboro GIS Analyst Zach Petersen said this week that Jamison knew the system like the back of his hand.
“Jamison knew where most utility assets were located without a formal map,” he said. “He could identify most of their positions within a foot, which was incredible. However, we knew a detailed map was essential for long-term recovery, future planning, and continuity.”
The Greensboro team then quickly mapped the town’s water and sewer system and created an important resource for Bakersville’s future reference. Since the town’s water and sewer infrastructure is now mapped in a GIS system, responders in the future will be able to conduct repair work faster.
City officials note, “The Greensboro team also faced significant communication challenges due to storm damage that knocked out traditional systems. Emergency management deployed mobile cellular units, tethered drones and Starlink satellites to help utility crews maintain connectivity and coordinate regional recovery efforts. These innovative solutions proved vital in overcoming communication obstacles.”
The team restored drinking water to Bakersville, which meant that, after October 11, there is no longer a need to boil drinking water that comes from the system.
The Water Resources Hurricane Helene Relief Crew had some help in the relief work. Through the coordinated efforts of federal agencies, state agencies and NCWaterWARN, utility workers from across North Carolina and other states banded together to assist with site preparation and infrastructure repairs in the western part of the state. This approach provided relief to many municipalities that were struggling greatly in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
“This experience brought us closer as a team than ever before,” Smith said. “Working together under such challenging conditions—relying on each other’s skills and support—created a bond that will carry into everything we do moving forward.”
Great group. Thanks for your hard work. Your work helped with the immediate disaster, but also helped the area with future operations. Good work, Water Resources. It appears your jobs are safe from robots.
. . . because it takes something that robots don’t have . . . yet: ingenuity.
Kudos to the individuals involved, LOVE THY NEIGHBOR in full force!
most important impactors of human health hygiene & disease prevention: civil engineers & epidemiologists ! try to exist without a clean drink of water.
I thank the Greensboro Water Dept assist with our western neighbors catastrophe. Now, if around our own town that dept has the majority of the Greensboro budget to utilize, as political as it is. I live across from a wetland off of the Horsepen Creek, which is 12′ at its depth and has crested onto the Fleming Rd at times as well. Now the city holds a Pump Station at the end of our street, Bledsoe Drive, which overflows on a regular basis and has a stench enough to call the devil’s crew for a party. The 200 acres of Townhomes and other developments in NW including the Golf course community off Fleming close to the airport sludge is also directed to this one. As a neighborhood we are quite fed up with the response we have either not gotten in response to stench complaints or the resistance to clean up the wetlands it contaminates and all, I mean all the dying trees in it, off Bryan Blvd. Any suggestions are welcome.
Wetlands gonna do what wetlands do. Blame the local politicians, county and cities, for allowing so much building to happen. Yes, the developers want to develop, but without county commissioners and city councils okaying the projects, largescale building would not happen. Commissioners and city councils will say that they are just following the ordinances. Then change the ordinances to protect the environment. But that won’t happen; developers have political power. You and your neighbors are reaping what the county and city sowed. As a thought, would a holding pound of some sort help, built at the expense of the government that allowed runaway building?