-Information courtesy Kristen King, Clerk to the Board, Franklin County
Franklin County will reopen the shelter at the Louisburg Senior Center today, September 13, at 3 p.m. The shelter will be located at 127 Shannon Village in Louisburg. Citizens are encouraged to bring any medications or special items they may need.
The Franklin County Animal Shelter located at 351 T. Kemp Road in Louisburg is open and housing pets.
Information courtesy Peggy Roark, Sexual Assault Advocate & PREA Coordinator, Families Living Violence Free
Families Living Violence Free offices will close today, September 13, at 12:30 p.m. and be closed tomorrow, Friday, September 14, all day as well.
If you are in a domestic violence or sexual assault situation and need immediate help, please call 911.
Our crisis lines will be open 24/7 – English 919-693-5700 or Spanish 919-690-0888
Please take precautions and stay safe during the storms.
-Information courtesy Brian K. Short, Director of Emergency Operations, Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations
In preparation for Hurricane Florence, Vance County will be opening an emergency shelter at the former Eaton Johnson Middle School building, located on Beckford Drive in Henderson at 5 p.m. today. Please do not arrive prior to that time and please eat before you arrive as food may not be available at typical meal times.
If you have a pet that you wish to shelter, you will need to take them to the Vance County Animal Shelter, located on Brodie Road in Henderson. Your pet will remain there and you will report to the emergency shelter at the school. You and your pet will be reunited after the storm.
Please remember to bring essential items with you, such as necessary medications, a change of clothes, toiletry items, a pillow and blanket, snacks and other comfort items. These items will not be provided to you, so pack smart. If you are a resident with special needs, you will need to bring essential, life-sustaining items with you to the shelter and your caregiver will need to remain in the shelter with you through the storm.
NO WEAPONS OF ANY KIND WILL BE ALLOWED IN THE SHELTER AND LAW ENFORCEMENT WILL BE PRESENT.
This is an emergency shelter only that is being established for the storm and it will promptly close as soon as the winds subside and conditions are safe to do so.
-Information courtesy Lynn Allred, Public Information Officer/Grants Coordinator, County of Granville
Notice from Granville County Emergency Management:
In discussion with National Weather Service officials, based on the latest forecast for minimal impacts here in Granville County, and the need for resources elsewhere in harder hit areas, we have decided to suspend our current plans for the shelter at Northern Granville Middle School.
If predicted conditions change, we can quickly set up sheltering capacity locally again, but for now, there WILL NOT be a public shelter opened in Granville County. We feel that everyone will be safe to stay in their own homes for the duration of this event.
-Information courtesy Brian K. Short, Director of Emergency Operations, Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations
PROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY
The following Proclamation is issued by the Mayor of the City of Henderson and the Chairman of the Vance County Board of Commissioners:
WHEREAS, information from the National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other sources indicate that a significant tropical weather system is approaching North Carolina and is likely to produce considerable wind and rain; and
WHEREAS, this wind and rain may cause local and widespread flooding and flash flooding, and may also cause downed trees and power outages; and
WHEREAS, there is a high probability that this storm will create travel and other hazards for the citizens of Vance County and the City of Henderson within the next several hours; and
WHEREAS, the weather conditions associated with this tropical system are such as to constitute a potential and imminent threat to life and property;
NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the authority contained in Article 1 of N.C.G.S. Chapter 166A, Article 36A of N.C.G.S. Chapter 14, and Section 5 of the Local Emergency Management Ordinance, I, Eddie Ellington, Mayor of the City of Henderson, and I, Thomas S. Hester, Chairman of the Vance County Board of Commissioners do hereby proclaim that a State of Emergency exists within the City of Henderson and County of Vance.
I further proclaim that the ordinances set forth below, which are contained in Section 5 of the Local Emergency Management Ordinance of Vance County are necessary in order to maintain an acceptable level of public order, services, and protection of lives, safety and property during this emergency, and that the same shall be in effect within the City of Henderson and County of Vance until this Proclamation expires or is rescinded. I hereby order all City and County law enforcement officers, public safety personnel and all other emergency management personnel subject to my control to cooperate in the enforcement and implementation of the emergency ordinances set forth below.
A.
General Emergency Protective Measures are in place. No public restrictions are imposed at this time
I further proclaim that the Emergency Operations Plan adopted by the City of Henderson and County of Vance, and all applicable mutual assistance compacts and agreements are in effect and shall remain in effect until this proclamation expires or is rescinded. All emergency personnel are hereby ordered to cooperate in the implementation of the provisions of the Emergency Operations Plan and all applicable mutual assistance compacts and agreements and to furnish assistance thereunder.
I direct that copies of this Proclamation be disseminated to the mass communications media for publication and broadcast and that a copy of this Proclamation be posted in City Hall as well as the Vance County Courthouse and other public buildings as appropriate.
This Proclamation shall be effective immediately and shall remain in effect for a period of five days unless sooner rescinded pursuant to G.S. 14-288.16.
Proclaimed this the 12th day of September 2018 at 4 p.m.
Eddie Ellington, Mayor, City of Henderson
Thomas Hester, Jr., Chairman, Vance County Board of Commissioners
The public forum for Vance County Sheriff candidates Curtis Brame, Charles Pulley and Allen Simmons originally scheduled for Sunday, September 16, 2018, has been rescheduled for Sunday, October 14 from 3 – 5 p.m. in the Vance County Commissioners’ Room of the old courthouse, 122 Young St., Henderson.
Hosted by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, The Daily Dispatch and WIZS Radio, the forum will allow each candidate the opportunity to make an opening statement followed by a question and answer session from representatives of the Chamber, the Dispatch and WIZS. Each candidate will also be given the opportunity to make a two-minute closing statement.
The public will be given an opportunity to suggest the questions that will be asked at the forum. Those questions should be submitted to john@hendersonvance.org, by noon on Friday, October 12. Prior to the forum, a panel represented by the media and the Chamber’s governmental affairs committee will select the order of questions.
The public will also be given the chance to submit questions to the panel on the day of the forum. For more information, contact the Chamber of Commerce at (252) 438-8414 or sandra@hendersonvance.org.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend.
*WIZS Radio will be recording the forum from 3 – 5 p.m. and airing it in its entirety from 5 – 7 p.m. the same day, Sunday, October 14, following the broadcast of the Carolina Panthers game. It will also be live streamed on wizs.com and posted to wizs.com as a podcast for repeat listening.
-Press Release, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation
Triangle North Healthcare Foundation’s Board of Directors has approved $343,450 in grant awards to local organizations in the Foundation’s sixth annual grant cycle. With the 2018 grant award, the Foundation’s contributions to the community total $1.5 million since the Foundation began grantmaking in 2013.
“The primary purpose of our grantmaking is to invest in organizations that share our mission to improve health in our region,” said Val Short, executive director for the Foundation. The 2018 grant awards will fund 12 projects presented by nonprofits and agencies that serve local communities—and all of them will focus on community health and health improvement programs throughout the four-county region. “Our hope is that these grant awards will result in improved health and healthier outcomes for children and adults in Vance, Warren, Granville, and Franklin counties,” said Short.
The 12 grants approved by the board fall under one or more of the five funding priorities established by the Foundation in 2013, including chronic disease, mental health and substance abuse, nutrition and physical activity, reproductive health, and success in school as related to health and wellness.
Most of the 2018 grant projects focus on chronic disease management and prevention and mental health and substance abuse. The TNHF grantees will provide a broad range of approaches to improving health– from programs that provide healing and support to traumatized children, to programs that provide strategies for managing chronic disease, to programs that provide care, treatment, and support for those with substance abuse disorders. “In all of our grant programs, health and wellness are at the heart of the work they will do,” said Short.
A list of the grant recipients and their projects for 2018-19 include:
Located in Henderson, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, and schools in Vance, Warren, Granville, and Franklin counties. The Foundation’s grant funding mission has been made possible by the endowment that was established after Maria Parham Health merged with the for-profit Duke-Lifepoint in 2011.
The Foundation will launch a new grant cycle in the spring of 2019, but in the meantime, the Foundation staff is available to discuss ideas for grant projects or to provide assistance with grant writing. Information about our grantees and future grant opportunities is available on the website at www.tnhfoundation.org or call 252-598-0763.
Updated Wednesday, Sept. 12 at 11 a.m.
WIZS will be bringing you updates on Hurricane Florence as new information is received. Please check the WIZS website, Facebook page and listen live to WIZS 1450 AM and 100.1 FM for updates throughout the week. The latest briefing from the National Weather Service can be found any time by clicking here.
Information is provided courtesy Brian K. Short, director of Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations.
(Click here for WIZS audio of this Story)
Brian K. Short, director of Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations, was on Wednesday’s edition of WIZS Town Talk program to provide updates on Hurricane Florence as of 11 a.m. Florence has taken a more southerly turn and, at the moment, presents less of a threat to the local area.
“It’s safe to say our situation looks significantly better than it did 24 hours ago,” said Short. “If the storm takes the south or southwest track that they think it will, our impact will be much, much less than expected this time yesterday.”
Short urges caution even with an improved forecast, “It will still make impact as a major storm. I don’t believe we need to let our guard down because things can change with little or no notice.”
The present forecast shows wind gusts of approximately 25-35 mph and rainfall of 3-5 inches for the local area. The likelihood of flooding and flash flooding has also decreased over recent hours.
Florence is currently expected to make landfall around mid-afternoon on Friday but so much still depends on the speed at which it moves. “The forward momentum of the storm has picked up, but it is expected to stall later today or tomorrow,” Short said.
Yesterday, officials discussed opening the former Eaton Johnson Middle School building, 500 N. Beckford Dr., Henderson, mid-day on Thursday. According to Short, the change in forecast may prompt the shelter to be opened as late as Thursday evening, Friday morning, or, depending on Florence’s path, not at all.
If opened, the shelter would provide physical refuge from the storm but would not provide food, clothing or supplies. “This would be a place to stay only. You would need to bring the things you could not live without but don’t pack like you’re going on vacation,” said Short.
A decision about the shelter’s opening is expected later today.
