BIG HELP FROM BIG ROCK IN CARTERET COUNTY.

• Position: REGIONAL REPORT: COASTAL STRONG

As Hurricane Florence approached North Carolina's coast, the management team at Big Rock Sports knew it was time to activate the corporate emergency plan and begin a controlled shutdown of its Morehead City administrative office and warehouse. The outdoor-goods distributor wanted to ensure employees had a safe place to go.

"If our local EMS declares a state of emergency, we activate our site hotline and send out texts and emails to all site employees with updates," says Shannon Adams, information technology director. "Also, department supervisors ensure each of their direct reports are accounted for after inclement weather."

Big Rock Sports, which has its roots in Carteret County, was formerly known as Henry's Tackle. The company has six distribution centers, including 500,000 square feet of warehouse space, throughout North America, according to Adams. The Morehead City facility has about 80 employees.

Adams evacuated to the North Carolina mountains and opened his home and Down East cottage for employees who needed a place to stay. Key personnel moved inland and worked out of the company's Graham headquarters while the Morehead City facility was shut down for five days from Sept. 1217, Adams says.

Damage from Hurricane Florence was widespread, according to Don Kirkman, Carteret County economic development director.

"Every commercial business was impacted, and every part of our county as far south as Cape Carteret and north to the small Down East communities and as far inland to Newport, which is at the county's highest elevation," he says. "The hurricane spared no one."

Initial economic impact assessments added up to $1.8 billion in property damage, but a final reconciliation is waiting on an assessment of lost revenue, crops and businesses.

"This was the worst damage our county has suffered in recorded history," Kirkman says. Popular local festivals...