Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/737796
4 OCTOBER 12-18, 2016 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM I am what most would call a weather geek. I love watching the weather. I study it. I often give weather forecasts to friends and family. That's why I was uncomfortable with the cavalier attitude our local weather forecasters had concerning our recent unwelcome guest, Hurricane Matthew. Being a weather geek, I follow the different models. And, I can say with no hesitation, always look at the European model. Its accuracy is far better than ours. So while everyone around was telling us not to worry, the storm wasn't going to come anywhere near the Cape Fear region, the European model was SHOUTING, "Hey, you guys! Get ready." Unfortunately, no one paid attention. Instead, we all sat here, thinking ourselves safe and out of harm's way. Until we were in harm's way. Then everyone acted surprised. I would like to say that I smugly thought, I told you so. But I didn't. I worried about my friends and neighbors. I worried about our first responders out in the midst of the storm. And I worried about those lookey loos who always find themselves stuck because they didn't think it was that bad. Sitting here, in the darkness of my home, I listened to the wind blow and watched the water levels keep rising. My neighborhood became a lake, and many found themselves under water. While I was safe, city and county officials hovered, trying to make a plan. And, while they planned, our law enforcement, fire department and EMS were out in the midst of the storm — taking care of us. They saved countless people who thought they could drive through 3 feet of water. They helped those stuck in their homes. They rescued those who simply had no sense. And they mourned those they couldn't save. Friends I know who are among our heroes worked double shifts. They left their families alone, to fend for themselves, so they could take care of our community. When so many want to talk about police relations, this community saw who had their back. They saw who braved the storm to take care of them … no matter their creed or color. Our community leaders used every means possible to keep the local citizenry informed. They were on news casts. They were on Facebook. If there was a means to get the word out, they used it. I don't want to single any one person out, but I have to say that I followed Kirk deViere's Facebook posts religiously. I also followed Jimmy Keefe and Mayor Nat Robertson. The Fayetteville Observer also did a great job keeping us up to date. Of course, I can't pass up the opportunity to heap praise on the fearless men and women of all of our local utilities. They worked through the storm. They were wet, cold and tired. But they kept going. I will admit, I was unhappy sitting in the dark. I was unhappy being without water. But I wasn't wet and cold. I wasn't facing downed electric lines and pouring rains and wind. They kept going. They are among the heroes of this storm. So, too, are the neighbors who came together to cut trees and move them from roads and houses. They offered help when others needed it. People can say what they will about Fayetteville and Cumberland County. But I know it is truly a community of heroes, people who care about their neighbors and go the extra mile. Matthew may have surprised the weather forecasters, but the reaction from our community did not surprise me one bit: Heroes, history and hometown. They all surely define our community. PUBLISHER'S PEN After the Storm by JANICE BURTON OCTOBER 12-18, 2016 UCW 1 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Fayetteville's Weather Forecast Call 910-354-1679 for more info. October 13 Cloudy October 14 Partly Cloudy October 15 Mostly Sunny October 16 Cloudy October 17 Cloudy October 18 Partly Cloudy THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY HIGH 78 HIGH 68 HIGH 68 HIGH 74 HIGH 77 HIGH 82 LOW 57 LOW 54 LOW 44 LOW 57 LOW 57 LOW 65 STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Janice Burton editor@upandcomingweekly.com EDITOR Stephanie Crider stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR April Olsen stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com SENIOR REPORTER Jeff Thompson news@upandcomingweekly.com ART DIRECTOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sara Smith art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS D.G. Martin, Pitt Dickey, Margaret Dickson, John Hood, Erinn Crider, Jim Jones, Shanessa Fenner, Heather Griffiths BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Keri Dickson keri@upandcomingweekly.com SALES ADMINISTRATOR/ DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com ACCOUNTING Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING/SALES Nicky Hart Linda McAlister Brown linda@upandcomingweekly.com ––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan Street P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: (910) 484-6200 FAX: (910) 484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and infor- mation on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Up & Coming Weekly is published weekly on Wednesdays. Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for pub- lication consideration, but assumes no respon- sibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distrib- uted at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. ©2007 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. JANICE BURTON, Associate Publisher, UP & COMING WEEKLY. COM- MENTS? BILL@upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. While Hurricane Matthew left its mark on the Cape Fear region, local officials and first responders rose to the occasion, keeping the public informed and as safe as possible.