Editor’s note: This column was updated on August 11 to correct references to Cavik Insurance.
If you have lived in Cumberland County long enough, you know we’ve seen our share of hurricanes and tropical storms.
They can do plenty of damage.
And a hurricane can bring with it that dread of anxiety.
“Once it gets to Georgia,” Alexandra Lysik, 40, was saying Wednesday at a Greater Fayetteville Chamber Success Luncheon, “I get nervous.”
Lysik is the owner of Cavik Insurance and knows how a hurricane has the potential to wreak havoc on your home or business with its raging winds and rain that can result in falling trees, power outages and even flooding.
Don’t let a hurricane, she says, catch you off guard.
Take it from Lysik: be prepared for the damages you can face.
“Go home, grab a glass of wine or a cup of coffee,” she encouraged the small group in attendance, “and read your (insurance) policy.”
If you find that your insurance coverage has gaps or could leave you with unforeseen costs, Lysik says her insurance always is there to help and put your mind at ease.
Lysik is an energetic businesswoman when it comes to insurance coverage and says she could talk about it all day. There’s something genuine about Alexandra Lysik. A Wilmington resident, Lysik was a WILMA Women to Watch finalist in 2017, a 2020 Wilmington 40 Under 40 honoree, and Cavik Insurance was named the 2024 Best Insurance Agency in Wilmington by Wilmington Magazine.
“But I’m a huge supporter of Fayetteville,” she said.
I didn’t attend her luncheon seminar to buy insurance. I attended because hurricane season is in the offing beginning in September and to follow up on a news release from the Fayetteville Public Works Commission, which encourages community residents to plan ahead.
The city-owned utility says that while Fayetteville is located more than 100 miles inland, we are no less vulnerable to the impacts of hurricanes, which include power outages, flooding, and hazardous conditions.
Many of us recall Hurricane Florence in September of 2018, which brought damaging winds and caused the Cape Fear River to near record flooding. And there was Hurricane Matthew in October of 2016, which turned streets into rivers and resulted in water rescues. Let us not forget Hurricane Fran on September 6, 1996, when 115 mph winds felled trees like an early-morning trucker snapping a toothpick after a Grand Slam breakfast at Denny’s.
And while the Fayetteville Flood of 1945 was before my time, there likely are some old-timers who may remember when the Cape Fear River crested to some 68 feet, according to published reporting accounts, and caused flooding along Person Street to Market Square, the result of Homestead Hurricane.
Local Utility Has Plans in Place
“PWC’s emergency operations plans are in place and ready to be implemented at a moment’s notice,” Timothy Bryant, chief executive officer and general manager for Fayetteville PWC, said in a news release. “We encourage customers to be prepared to care for themselves and their families for at least the first 72 hours following a major storm, as restoration efforts and access to assistance may take time depending on storm conditions.”
The utility has prepared a 2026 Storm Preparation Guide, which includes emergency preparedness and supply kits, flood and roadway safety, downed power line safety, portable generator safety, what you should do during a power outage, PWC’s service restoration process, power outage reporting tools and notifications.
The Storm Preparation Guide also provides information on planning for medical needs, mobility assistance and, yes siree, keeping your pets safe. And residents in need of medical equipment that relies on electricity or water should have backup plans and be prepared to relocate during extended power outages.
Epilogue
You may find this something of a boring Sunday column, and there’s been talk from weather forecasters, who say this could be a mild hurricane season.
Then again, you never can predict Mother Nature.
“I haven’t seen any yet,” Alexandra Lysik said about hurricanes looming or heading our way anytime soon. “But the better you prepare, the better off you’ll be.”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
