AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
Cary Utilities Director Jamie Revels learned shortly after midnight Monday that a 30-inch transmission main, one of the largest in Cary’s water system, had broken and storage-tank levels were falling rapidly.
Read more We price-checked groceries at 12 Raleigh stores to find the best value for 2026
Within an hour, he told the Town Council on Tuesday night, pressure in Cary’s largest water zone had fallen below 20 pounds per square inch, the minimum level set by regulators, and officials knew a System Pressure Advisory would be required.
Cary publicly posted the advisory on its website at 5:30 a.m.
But the ReadyWake emergency alert sent directly to phone numbers, email addresses and other registered contacts did not go out until 6:28 a.m. Wake County said all delivery attempts were completed by 6:36 a.m.
Revels told the council that emergency communication has to happen fast: “You’ve got an hour, you got two hours. You’ve got to get the word out to the public. It has to be done quickly.”
Wake County Emergency Management Deputy Director Joshua Creighton said Cary first contacted them about sending a ReadyWake alert at 4:19 a.m. At that point, Creighton said, Cary was still determining which customers were affected and drafting the alert. Cary did not provide the approved message and geographic target until 5:55 a.m., more than 90 minutes after first contacting the county.
Cary had not answered follow-up questions from The News & Observer by Wednesday afternoon about why several hours elapsed between officials recognizing the need for an advisory and contacting Wake County, or why another 96 minutes passed before it supplied the approved message and geographic area.
Cary Marketing & Creative Manager Kristy Buchanan told The N&O that she believes residents were notified quickly enough and that the town is reviewing its notification process.
The timeline raises a broader question about Cary’s emergency-warning system: Residents generally must sign up for ReadyWake and configure how they want to be contacted, even when the warning concerns water service to 49,779 customers.
No bacterial contamination was ultimately found; the advisory was precautionary because a loss of pressure can allow contaminants to enter the water system.
Cary says it used its website, social media, 311, news outlets and direct outreach to critical customers throughout its response.
Read more UNC concludes football investigation as Bill Belichick’s son resigns
On Monday, the town’s 311 operation handled 2,147 contacts, more than two and a half times the typical Monday volume. Residents contacted the town by phone, text, web/email and social media.
Mayor Harold Weinbrecht said staff did an “outstanding job getting the message out,” despite complaints.
For Monday’s alert, Cary provided the message and geographic area, and Wake County sent it through ReadyWake, the county’s mass-notification platform. Residents generally must register for ReadyWake. Cary had not answered by Wednesday whether its existing utility billing system allows the town to directly send emergency warnings to all affected water customers using contact information already on file.
Wake County targeted 108,896 contacts. Of those, 5,784 confirmed receipt, another 85,597 were recorded as receiving the alert without confirming it, and 17,515 were unreachable. Among the 5,784 who confirmed receipt, 3,944 confirmed by text, 975 by phone, 863 by email and two through the app.
Wake County said it could not determine how many daycares, restaurants or other businesses in the affected area received the alert because ReadyWake registrations are not consistently categorized by business type.
Mayor Pro Tem Lori Bush said only about half of the town’s Information Services Advisory Board members had ReadyWake. Bush said some members did not learn about the advisory until 9 or 9:30 a.m.; some reported that daycares and businesses, including a Starbucks, had not known about it, while commuters who lived elsewhere could miss geographically targeted alerts.
Council member Michelle Craig said she had a ReadyWake account but had not completed the settings needed to receive calls and emails.
Council member Carissa Kohn-Johnson said customers currently have to “actively do something” and that the government could instead “just opt them in.” Revels said Cary’s new utility-billing system may allow more direct customer communication.
NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email [email protected].
Read more 5 questions the Carolina Hurricanes still must answer as NHL training camps open