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Trooper A.M. Humphrey was patrolling south on I-95 in Robeson County when he noticed a stranded motorist at mile marker #9.  Jessica DePriest, her 2 ½ year old son Jakob and her 18 month old triplets Raychel, Rebekah and Kalob were stranded in their minivan.

Mrs. DePriest was on the way home to Hinesville, GA after visiting her parents in Dunn when her minivan started to act up and she decided to pull over.  She told Trooper Humphrey that her parents and a wrecker would be there in about an hour and that she was fine to wait.

Trooper Humphrey thought 24-year-old mother seemed distraught and didn’t feel comfortable leaving the family there waiting on the side of the road.

About five minutes later, he  noticed waves of heat coming from the engine and realized that the minivan’s engine was on fire and quickly grabbed two of the children and put them in his patrol car.

A Samaritan motorist, Bill Gorgonnie of Delaware, stopped and tried to put out the flames with his fire extinguisher.   It slowed the flames long enough for Trooper Humphrey to grab the other two children from the burning minivan.
 
Trooper Humphrey attempted to go back to the minivan and retrieve any clothes, medicine or toys that he could, but by then the minivan was fully engulfed.  Then, all of the sudden, the gas tank exploded.

Mrs. DePriest, whose husband is deployed to Iraq, stated that Trooper Humphrey was a “guardian angel” to her family.  Since then, the Wal-Mart in Lumberton gave the family four new car seats and the Lumberton Police department donated $100.00 to the family.

Anyone who lived in North Carolina in 2004, 1999, 1996 and 1989 could probably tell you that September is the peak of hurricane season around here. That’s when Hurricanes Frances, Ivan, Floyd, Fran and Hugo all struck our state causing widespread devastation for large regions of our state.

With Hurricane Earl now churning off the Atlantic, it is a good time to encourage families, businesses and schools to take steps to prepare themselves for hurricanes, as well as all types of emergencies.

Every family should have an emergency plan for what to do and where to go if they should need to evacuate their home. Take time to assemble – or update –  your emergency kit with extra food, water, clothing, medications and important documents. The easiest, most cost-effective thing you can do to protect your family is to plan ahead, gather those supplies and discuss your emergency plans.If we each take responsibility to be prepared at home for those disruptions, then emergency crews can focus on helping those who are in life-threatening situations.

Not convinced it is that important to be prepared? Hear for yourself from some that lived through it and what they had to say.

Information about planning for disasters of any kind is available in English at the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety Web site at http://www.nccrimecontrol.org/ under the Emergency Management Division and www.readync.org and in Spanish at www.listonc.org.

Gov. Perdue has proclaimed September as Emergency Preparedness Month to encourage everyone to be disaster-ready at all times.

Take time now to get ready. Those families and businesses who have plans and supplies fare far better during any emergency than those who do not.

Did you know that more major hurricanes strike North Carolina in August and September than all other months combined? That’s why the best way to stay safe is to stay informed.

The N.C. Department of Transportation manages 18 Twitter feeds that instantly update you on real-time travel conditions, as well as changes to our ferry schedules. If an emergency occurs, we send out tweets alerting the affected areas about road closures, driving conditions, flooding and evacuation routes.

Our Twitter feeds give immediate travel information to North Carolina residents and out-of-state visitors who may not know who to contact in an emergency.

You can also follow Twitter on your hand-held devices even if traditional telephone service and electricity are disrupted.

Our goal is to keep you safe using the “know before you go” approach. We encourage you to check Twitter on your computer or smartphone before you leave home, work or school, but not while driving. Behind the wheel, you should be focused on one thing only – operating the vehicle safely.

We maintain Twitter feeds for our Ferry Division, as well as Interstates 26, 85, 40, 77 and 95. There are also feeds for specific cities, areas and regions including Charlotte, the Triangle, the coast and the Western mountains of North Carolina.

If you would like a complete list, visit http://www.ncdot.gov/travel/twitter/default.html.

You can also use our other social media tools – Facebook, Flickr and YouTube – for valuable transportation information.

The annual Labor Day “Booze It & Lose It” campaign to crack down on impaired drivers begins Aug. 20 and runs through Sept. 6. State and local law enforcement officers will be conducting stepped up checkpoints and patrols across the state.

“Booze It & Lose It” is administered by the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program. The initiative began in 1994 and was created to zero in on impaired drivers with innovative and extensive anti-driving while impaired enforcement and education.

In North Carolina in 2009, there were 11,304 alcohol-related crashes resulting in 394 fatalities and 8,791 injuries.  If you plan on drinking, please plan ahead and designate a sober driver or arrange for alternative transportation. Remember, it’s “Booze It & Lose It”.

Last Thursday in Greenville, I had the great honor to represent the N.C. Council for Women at a historic moment that many of us who work as advocates for survivors of domestic violence have long dreamed about: The signing by Gov. Bev Perdue of legislation requiring DNA samples to be taken from those charged with felony crimes.

Surrounded by fellow advocates, law enforcement officials and legislators whose hard work made this day possible, I could not help but marvel at the magnitude of the occasion. It was a great feeling to watch the Governor affix her signature and know that the collection of DNA from criminals – those “21st century fingerprints” the Governor referenced – will help all statewide programs that provide services to those who are victims of crime.

So much is taken from victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, especially when the suspect is unknown. Using DNA to identify criminals – and many in this category are repeat offenders – will at least give a survivor the knowledge that a dangerous person has been taken off the street.

A less celebrated but equally important aspect of the legislation is the addition of more lab analysts who can test rape kits and other evidence more quickly. On behalf of crime survivors and families of victims, we thank the Governor and our legislators for standing firm on their pledge to make our communities safer.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is known nationwide as an elite law enforcement agency – and this reputation was earned over more than 80 years of service and dedication to the state. Those who wear the uniform represent honor, dignity, courage and respect. They have been looked upon as role models and leaders for decades.

Today, their reputation is suffering from the misdeeds of a few. The good name of the State Highway Patrol has been dishonored by a few bad apples.

Though we may not like it, the old saying applies here: perception is reality. It’s time to change the perception of the Patrol and reform the Highway Patrol in the image of the trooper’s oath:

On my honor, I will never betray my badge, my integrity, my character, or the public trust.

I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for their actions.  I will always uphold the constitution, my community and the agency I serve.

On Wednesday I joined CCPS Secretary Reuben Young and Colonel Randy Glover to address all 160 Patrol supervisors from across the state. My message to them was simple – I know that 99.9% of troopers do their jobs with integrity. I know that the majority of the Highway Patrol serve with honor. But from this day forward, there will be zero tolerance for illegal or unethical behavior.  If a trooper betrays this oath, he will be dismissed.  And I called upon the secretary and the colonel to reorganize the agency to better reflect these goals.

I have laid out four priorities for change in the Highway Patrol:

1) All troopers will go through ethics training and will sign a code of conduct;
2) All supervisors will go through ethics and management training;
3) The Patrol code of conduct and oath will become the litmus test – betray the oath and you will be dismissed; and
4) Within the next 60 days, Secretary of Crime Control Reuben Young and Highway Patrol Commander Colonel Randy Glover will deliver to the governor a plan to restructure Highway Patrol leadership.

My expectations were made clear and I am encouraged that we will be able to restore the luster to the image of the Highway Patrol.  These dedicated public servants, who work hard, train hard and put their lives on the line daily for the people of North Carolina, deserve better from their fellow troopers.

This weekend, the roads will be busy as many of you travel to your favorite North Carolina vacation destinations to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. We want to help you avoid traffic tie-ups along the way. So, we have stopped work on most of our construction projects until 9 a.m., Tuesday, July 6.

Having fewer orange cones on the roads will help you get where you need to go more quickly while cutting down on fuel consumption and costs.

Fireworks Reminder
If your travels take you to the Carolina coast, remember not to take fireworks on the state’s ferries. It is illegal, even if they are in the trunk of your car. The only exceptions are for professionals performing at public fireworks displays. If convicted, you could face a maximum of 60 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. Do not take a chance. Please leave the fireworks at home.

“Booze It & Lose It: Operation Firecracker”
We also want to remind you to have a designated driver ready if your party plans involve alcohol. Law enforcement officers will stage checkpoints and step up patrols to catch those who drink and drive during the holiday weekend. It is all part of the “Booze It & Lose It: Operation Firecracker” campaign, sponsored by the Governor’s Highway Safety Program.

Last year, six people died in our state in alcohol-related crashes over the Independence Day weekend. We do not want you to become a statistic. Be responsible and hand over the car keys if you have been drinking. 
 
Stay Connected
We hope you and your family have a safe Fourth of July holiday. Connect with the NCDOT this weekend on Twitter for all the latest news. You can also stay a step ahead of traffic delays by clicking here or calling 511. 

There was drama on the high seas yesterday in Morehead City, where three employees in the Division of Environmental Health, N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, rescued two capsized boaters.

It occurred mid-morning when the sailboat, carrying two boaters, capsized because of strong currents and winds near the Marine Fisheries dock. The boaters were hanging onto their boat that was pinned between dock pillars.

At the same time, staff from the Shellfish Sanitation and Recreational Water Quality Section happened to be on the other side of the dock returning from pulling daily water and shellfish samples. A television station was interviewing staff and captured the rescue on tape.

The staff – Paul Moore, Timmy Moore, and Phil Piner – recognized that the boaters were in trouble and used their quick wits to maneuver their boat to pull the boaters to safety. I am proud and thankful that our staff so willingly went to the aid of the boaters and that potential tragedy was avoided.

There are many unsung heroes at DENR, but the actions of our staff today in Morehead City were caught on tape. If you wish to view the tape and a news story about the rescue, please visit http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/97076919.html.

It’s a hot job trying to keep state offices cool – or at least, reasonably comfortable – when temperatures and humidity hit and stay near record-breaking levels.

The Division of Facility Management is assigned this daunting task. We have more than a dozen employees dedicated to maintaining the chilled water systems that helps cool 5 million-plus square feet of facilities in the Downtown State Government Complex, as well as respond to service calls from locations where a chiller is not supplying adequate relief.

Much like street crews that try their best to keep roads clear with limited resources during a snow or ice storm, Facility Management is striving to maximize use of a small crew to keep the chillers working at capacity in extreme conditions.  If you think your office is warm, try to imagine how challenging it is for technicians to maintain active systems and make repairs in cramped spaces.

Our crews will remain vigilant as we experience the extreme heat and humidity forecast for this week, as we do in responding to facility maintenance needs throughout the year.

Dale Fields (left) and Alan Benson rewire a 100 horsepower motor that moves cool air to the lobby area of the Museum of History