City inspectors take experience west
By Barbara Arntsen
Published in News on September 23, 2004 1:59 PM
For the second time this month a Goldsboro city inspector could be heading to the western part of the state to help hurricane victims.
"We may need to go to Haywood County," said Chief Building Inspector Ed Cianfarra. "We're on standby right now, waiting to see if they need us."
Last week Cianfarra spent several days in Asheville, helping the city put policies and procedures in place.
Goldsboro's inspectors are asked to come, said Cianfarra, because of the experience they had with the floods of Hurricane Floyd.
While up there he also helped organize the number of inspectors coming in from other parts of the state.
"I helped them create teams and did some logistical work," he explained. "They hadn't had a flood there since 1941, so no one really knew how to get organized."
Cianfarra also did a public service announcement while he was there, explaining various dangers to be aware of after a flood.
"When wiring gets wet in a building, the building needs to be rewired," he said. "Even if the electricity comes on, it will still need to be rewired."
He said that he also explained about other potential hazards, like mold and mildew that often come after flooding.
"They had a flash flood, which was different than what we experienced here," he said. "The water moved rapidly through that area causing a great deal of devastation, because logs and debris were moving through it."
It's not the first time the city has helped out another city devastated by a hurricane.
Last fall a crew from the General Services Department traveled to Hertford County to help after Hurricane Isabel.
Earlier this week the city received a plaque from Hertford with the names of the General Services crew engraved on the plaque.