Totaling $750,000 in awards, the Emergency Preparedness Grant aim to reinforce communities’ ability to help residents prepare for and recover from severe weather events. 

Local awards include:

Jackson County will receive $25,000 to upgrade the technology at its emergency operations center, facilitating better coordination and response. Funding will provide for essential command staff equipment, including an interactive mart board and four laptop computers supporting EMS, fire, law enforcement and other state and local agencies. 

Haywood County will receive $25,000 toward a utility terrain vehicle, or UTV, to be used in search and rescue efforts for lost or injured hikers and during snow and high-water events to access stranded residents in need of medical care. 

Swain County will receive $25,000 to improve ArcGIS capability. Duke’s contribution will go toward an in-house advanced mapping tool to boost the county’s ability to respond to high-water events, wildfires and wilderness search and rescues. 

“Emergency preparedness and storm recovery begin at the local level,” said Stephen De May, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president. “Households and businesses across our state have endured a number of significant and costly storms in recent years. These grants will help our communities by giving our first responders the tools and training they need to tackle whatever Mother Nature throws our way.”