CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Most people in Charlotte received at least five wireless emergency alerts on Thursday because of the flash flooding impacts from Tropical Strom Debby Debby.
A wireless emergency alert – or WEA – is a public safety system that allows people within a particular geographic area to receive immediate alerts.
A Facebook post by WCNC Weather Impact Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich received comments from people voicing frustration with the repetitive alerts.
The alerts were received every time the National Weather Service made a change to the flash flood warning. This includes additional emergency alerts sent every time the government agency extends the time frame of the ongoing flood warning.
Trisha Palmer, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service's local office in Greenville-Spartanburgm South Carolina, told WCNC Charlotte their understanding was the alerts would only be sent with the original issuance of the warning. That came at 7:07 a.m. They were not expecting them to be sent with every update, which happened at 10:58 a.m., 12:07 p.m., 1:47 p.m. and 6:55 p.m.
"Knowing this, moving forward, this is something that our forecasters will have to keep in mind during an extensive flood event, or especially a flash flood event because this could be something that could impact how people respond," Palmer explained.
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These alerts are meant to keep people and their families safe.
The majority of flash flood warnings in the Charlotte area are base warnings. This is the lowest tier and they do not trigger a WEA.
The alerts on Thursday were considered "considerable," which is a severity upgrade from a base-level warning. Flash flood warnings are sent to phones when they are deemed "considerable" and "catastrophic." Impacts such as structural and property damage, extensive emergency responses, and significant flooding in rare areas warrant the upgrade.
A catastrophic-level WEA has not been issued for flooding in Charlotte since 2018. That year, Hurricane Florence produced very serious flooding in Mecklenburg and Union counties.
Contact Brittany Van Voorhees at bvanvoorhe@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.