Source: Norman Harrell, WILSON COUNTY EXTENSION DIRECTOR, 9/10/18
Early this morning Florence was upgraded from a Category One to a Category Two Hurricane. It is still too early to say with a large degree of certainty, but it appears that landfall in the Wilmington area is likely. In addition, it is predicted that we will be facing a Category Three or Four storm during that time. The storm will lose strength as the eye moves inland; however, we can still expect significant rainfall across most of the state. Recent estimates indicate that more than 10 inches is possible in the central region of the state.
Please make preparations now for Hurricane Florence. Generator Rental
If you want to rent a generator, you need to go ahead and do it now. If you wait until the last minute, they will all be gone as a lot of industries will be leasing generators as well.
Some rental companies also require you to complete a credit application and may not accept a credit card for payment. You need to go ahead and have this work complete. Please use the following link for a list of generator rental companies that I have put together. Not trying to include or exclude any vendor, just a working list I have put together over the years.
List of generator rentals: Generator Rental
Updated September 10, 2018
Hertz Equipment Rental
7950 U.S. 70 Highway West
Clayton, NC 27520
www.hertzequip.com
919-359-3570 (o)
Tarheel Generator
P.O.Box 753
Siler City, NC 27344
www.tarheelgenerator.net
877-496-7212 (o)
Gregory Poole
Electric Power Generation
3201 Integrity Dr
Garner, NC 27529
www.gregorypoole.com
919-755-7010
Sunbelt Rentals - Raleigh Pump and Power
Branch # 093
2708 Connector Drive
Wake Forest, NC 27587
www.sunbeltrentals.com
919-570-7050 (o)
919-453-5050 (o) Branch #1093
Ahern
2506 Yonkers Rd
Raleigh NC 27604-2241
www.ahern.com
919-809-6350 (o)
United Rentals
4320 New Bern Ave
Raleigh, NC 27610
www.unitedrentals.com
(919) 250-0630 (o)
H&E Equipment Services
3821 Generosity Ct
Garner, NC 27529
www.he-equipment.com
919-781-9454 (o)
BlueLine Rental’s
6012 Triangle Drive
Raleigh, NC, 27617
www.bluelinerental.com
919-662-2011
Also, I was notified that a retired grower has a 25W, single phase, pto driven generator for sale. Contact me for more info. norman_harrell@ncsu.edu
Curing considerations
As most of you know, the end of the yellowing phase and the early part of leaf drying during curing is the most critical time if power goes down (48 to 96 hours into the curing process). The tobacco will overheat rapidly during this time, especially in box containers without the fan operating. Any barns loaded Saturday or Sunday, may be at or near the last stage of stem drying by Friday. If the barns are within a day or two of finishing, then they can go without airflow for several days. Certainly, anything loaded today and later will potentially be at a critical phase by Friday and not last very long (possibly only a few hours) without the fan operating.
The last link has a section that discusses "Selecting and Using Standby Electric Power Equipment" for curing barns. The barns that are at the critical stages would take priority, if a power outage occurs and a grower only has limited generator capacity. All of this is discussed in more detail in the information links below.
Avoiding Tobacco losses due to power failure
Purchasing a backup generator
Tobacco Harvest efficiency guide
Temporary Suspension of Motor Vehicle Regulations
Due to the approach and potential impacts of Tropical Storm Florence, the Governor has declared a State of Emergency for North Carolina. Hurricane Florence creates an imminent threat of severe economic loss of livestock, poultry and crops ready to be harvested. At Commissioner Steve Troxler's recommendation and pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 166A-19.70(g), the Governor has directed the Department of Public Safety to temporarily suspend weighing those vehicles used to transport livestock, poultry or crops. The Governor has also declared that the maximum hours of service for drivers prescribed by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-381 should be waived.
A copy of Executive Order Nos. 51 and 52 are attached. If anyone is mistakenly stopped while trying to transport livestock, poultry, crops or feed, they should share the executive orders with law enforcement.
Declaration of state of emergency»
Transportation waiver
Greenhouses
Don't forget about greenhouses. Roll up curtains tight and secure doors. If we lose power, you need to have back up power for the greenhouses to keep the plastic layers fully inflated.
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