With the effects of Hurricane Florence on Charlotte’s doorstep, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services has just added 250 more locations to official Mecklenburg County Flood Map.

The county has been working over the past 5 years to update the flood map based on new development and water flow patterns around our city.

1,700 letters will be sent out this Friday to all newly affected properties, but due to the incoming hurricane, the county decided to send out a press release ahead of time.

There is now grant money available for all affected property owners.

Check to see if your home is one of the newly affected properties by searching on the county’s map here.

Hurricane Florence is continuing to move closer to the eastern seaboard on a relatively straight path as a powerful category 4 storm.

The storm will significantly slow down after hitting land. It’s anticipated to take over 48 hours to travel from the North Carolina coast to the Raleigh area.

It will likely decrease from a Category 4 storm over water on Friday to a Tropical Storm before reaching the middle of North Carolina or bottom of Virginia by Sunday.

Charlotte could see wind speeds between 40-60mph between Friday morning and Sunday night;

and up to 2 inches of rain (which will likely cause significant flash flooding around our region);

There could be a significantly greater threat to the Charlotte region if Hurricane Florence intensifies to a Category 5 storm, although the chances of that happening are fairly slim based on the current intensity forecasts; 

50 MPH winds and flash flooding around Charlotte will likely knock down trees, cause pockets of power outages, and make some roads impassable.

In case of a power outage, make sure to have the following emergency items stocked in your home;

• Car charger for cell phones and other devices
• Clean drinking water (recommended 1 gallon per person per day, minimum three days)
• Flashlights 
• Batteries: Extra batteries for all of your devices
• Weather radio/clock
• Non-perishable food
• First aid kit

All the above items are available via Amazon’s same-day Prime Now service if your local store has already been cleaned out.

The City of Charlotte sent us a press release last night about Hurricane Florence with the following information for local residents;

• Now is the time before the storm to clear nearby storm drains and small creeks.
• Keep curb and gutters free of leaves, litter and branches
• Please call 911 for true emergencies. Use 311 to request non-emergency services.
• Review your family preparedness plan. Don’t forget to include your pets in your planning.
• Take inventory of your emergency kit and restock on essentials. 

The city also wants to remind residents that “September is National Preparedness Month, so now is a great time to think about preparedness and safety for all emergency situations.”

UPDATE 9/13/2018 8:00am:

Hurricane Florence has just been downgraded to a Category 2 storm, but has also grown in overall size, increasing the reach of its damaging winds. It could still marginally strengthen before making landfall, but it will likely remain a Category 2 or weak Category 3.

The US Postal Service recently released its annual count of postal employees who have been attacked by dogs last year. USPS noted that there were a total of 6,755 attacks in 2017 – 200 more than 2016.

Charlotte came in at 18th in the country for mail-man/dog attacks last year, according to rankings, just behind Phoenix, and just ahead of Memphis on the list.

There were a total of 33 attacks last year in Charlotte, 18 of which required medical attention.

The US postal service releases the dog-attack numbers as part of Dog Bite Prevention Week, along with some advice on how people can keep their dogs from biting letter carriers.

Some of the top tips included;

• If a letter carrier delivers mail to the front door, put the dog in a different room. Dogs have burst through screen doors and plate-glass windows to attack visitors.
• Some dogs might perceive a letter carrier handing mail directly to a family member as a threat, so the postal service advises not taking mail from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet.
• On USPS.com, people can indicate whether they have dogs at their address. This helps fill-in letter carriers who don’t know all the neighborhood hounds.

The statement by the Postal Service also noted that it places the safety of its employees as a top priority – if a letter carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose or unleashed, they will not hesitate to ask the homeowners to pick up mail at a post office until they can prove the pet has been restrained. In light of the continued increase in attacks, many mail carriers have even started carrying protective dog spray.

What do you think should be done about this growing problem?

A new reading academy in South Charlotte is changing the way young students learn how to read in the face of ever-increasing public school testing.

Lisa Palladino started Ballantyne Reading Academy after feeling like she was spending more time testing and assessing students than helping them improve as a public school teacher.

When I returned to teaching after time home with my own children, I discovered how much had changed in the classroom. Teachers no longer had the autonomy to respond to their students’ needs and were spending the majority of their time assessing, not teaching. In Kindergarten, dramatic play had been replaced with weekly DIBELS,” Lisa told me. “Learning to read should be a joyful experience. Young children especially are such eager learners and I knew I could nurture that enthusiasm to create life-long readers and learners.”

Since starting the academy, her custom-tailored programs have even won her several awards as a top tutoring academy in the region.

She initially started the academy focusing only on pre-school aged students, but quickly expanded her services and her staff as word of her success spread.

“Parents who originally sought us out for their preschooler continue to send their now third, fourth and fifth graders to us as their children want to continue learning with us. My original idea to provide joyful learning opportunities for our youngest learners has grown as the children have grown,” Lisa commented.

According to their website, Ballantyne Reading Academy‘s primary services now include;

Preschool and Kindergarten readiness skills of:
•Print awareness and letter formation
•Vocabulary
•Phonological awareness
•Narrative (story telling and re-telling)

Specialized training for those over 5 years old:
•Enrichment for gifted students and advanced learners
•Academic remediation and support
•Writing strategies
•Fluency and comprehension
•Math instruction
•Diagnostic services for literacy-related disabilities

You can find out more on the Ballantyne Reading Academy’s website here.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in coordination Peer Advisors for Veteran Education (PAVE), will host the Charlotte Military Hiring Expo, a hiring event for veterans and military spouses, at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018. More than 100 employers are expected to participate with jobs available for veterans and military spouses of all ranks and levels of experience. Companies participating in the event range from America’s largest employers to dozens of smaller companies from across the region.

Attendees are also invited to attend the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony.

Prior to the hiring expo, Hiring Our Heroes will host a Career Connections employment workshop focused on skills translation, resume building tools, resources for connecting with veteran-ready employers, best practices for digital networking, and job search techniques.

WHAT:
Charlotte Military Hiring Expo at the NASCAR Hall of Fame

WHEN:
Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018
Doors Open: 8:30 a.m. EST
Workshops & Mock Interviews: 9:30-11:45 a.m. EST
9/11 Remembrance Ceremony: noon-12:30 p.m. EST
Hiring Expo: 12:45-3:30 p.m. EST
Employer Resource Group Reception: 4:30-6:30 p.m. EST

WHERE:
NASCAR Hall of Fame
400 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202

RSVP:
Interested job seeks should pre-register online at hiringourheroes.org/events. Veterans must provide proof of service.

According to a new study by JD Power, Charlotte Water ranks 11th in the South for residential customer satisfaction.

The study, now in its third year, measured the overall satisfaction among residential customers of 88 water utilities in four geographic regions: Midwest, Northeast, South and West.

Overall satisfaction was measured by examining 33 attributes within six factors (listed in order of importance): delivery; price; conservation; billing and payment; communications; and customer service.

Charlotte Water’s score of 722 ranked just above the South’s average of 716;

To test the quality of water you’re receiving, home testing kits are now available to Charlotte residents.

If you’re not satisfied with your water quality, the best solution is to install a reverse osmosis filter on any faucet you get drinking water from.