-Information courtesy Henry L. Gupton, Clerk of Superior Court, Vance County
Vance County court sessions scheduled for Thursday, September 13 and Friday, September 14 have been canceled at this time.
As of now, the office of Henry L. Gupton, Clerk of Superior Court, Vance County, will still be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This may change depending on the weather forecast.
-Press Release, Maria Parham Health
Effective immediately, Maria Parham Health has initiated its emergency response plan and is proactively taking steps to prepare for the potential impact of Hurricane Florence. The facility’s top priority is to continue providing the highest quality care possible while ensuring the safety of patients and their families, employees and providers – especially in a potentially emergent situation.
As part of its emergency response plan, Maria Parham Health is diligently preparing employees and providers to ensure they are well-equipped to serve the community during this critical time of need. Extra staff will be available to accommodate higher patient volumes and to support the transfer of patients to neighboring facilities, as needed. Hospital leaders are working around the clock to ensure that the facility will have the appropriate capacity and supplies to continue caring for patients and supporting staff in the days ahead.
Maria Parham is closely collaborating with the Emergency Management office in North Carolina and Vance County to stay abreast of the latest storm developments, collaborate on appropriate response protocols and provide updates to the community. The facility intends to share regular updates via media alerts, its website and social media platforms regarding potential facility challenges that may impact certain patient care services in the immediate days ahead. The community should be advised that in the event of a widespread power outage, the hospital has the ability to generate its own power, as needed.
At this time, the hospital and its Emergency Department remain open and are fully operational. If you have an appointment scheduled this week with a provider in one of the hospital’s clinics, please call that office directly to confirm if they will be open.
Please be sure to check the hospital’s website at mariaparham.com and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MariaParhamHealth frequently for updates throughout the duration of the storm.
Recorded Live at 11 a.m. on 9-12-18 for presentation here at this time. Update on local impacts from Hurricane Florence. This is an audio file only, and can be found also on our Facebook and Twitter Pages.
-Information courtesy Esther J. McCrackin, City Clerk, City of Henderson
Due to the impending hurricane, City crews are doing all they can to reduce flooding and other hazardous situations throughout the City.
During this time, our Public Safety, Public Works and other crews will be receiving a large call volume so please limit your calls to true emergencies. Work will be prioritized according to the greatest need.
YOU can help:
Other:
-Information courtesy Vance-Granville Community College
Due to the threat of inclement weather, all campuses of Vance-Granville Community College will be closed and all classes and activities are canceled Thursday through Sunday, September 13-16.
-Press Release, Vance County Schools
Vance County Schools will be closed on Thursday, September 13 and Friday, September 14 for all students and staff members. The schools are operating on a regular schedule today, September 12.
All evening activities at all schools are canceled for today. The Evening Academy will be closed today.
Future announcements about our schools’ schedules will be placed on the school system’s Twitter and Facebook pages, as well as listed on the district website and announced on local television and radio stations.
In the midst of continuous Hurricane Florence coverage and updates, WIZS was honored to speak with two 9-11 survivors this Patriot Day.
Today marks the 17th anniversary of the day hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, VA and a field in Shanksville, PA. The 9-11 attacks killed 2,996 people, making it the deadliest foreign attack ever on U.S. soil.
Two survivors from the attack on the Pentagon, husband and wife David and Evelyn Woodson, were on Tuesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss their experience on that fateful day.
The Woodson’s were working in the Pentagon on the morning of September 11, 2001 – he with the U.S. Navy and she with the Marine Corp. “It was a regular Tuesday morning,” said David. “We got up like everyone else, got our coffee and went to work.”
David and Evelyn Woodson in the WIZS studio to share their experience as survivors of the 9-11 Pentagon attack.
Little did they know that hours later, 189 people would be killed in the Pentagon attack alone; 64 from American Airlines Flight 77 that crashed into the building.
According to David, Evelyn called him around 9:15 a.m. that morning to ask if he was near a television and had he seen what was going on in New York. At that time, David was in his office on the fifth floor and Evelyn was in the Pentagon’s clinic for a routine weekly physical.
David quickly found a group standing around a tv right before the second plane crashed into the World Trade Center. “When the second plane hit, everyone was glued to the screen. By that point, everyone knew we were under attack. It became quiet as we all watched in amazement, really.”
As David watched the horror unfold he remembers thinking that the Pentagon had always been a target in the past and that he and co-workers previously worried about bombings. “While I’m standing there contemplating that, I hear screams and yells coming through the corridor and a police officer said, ‘Everybody out, evacuate the building now!’”
“When I exited the building and turned around, I could tell the plane came in near my office and I worried about my staff and supervisors,” said David. “I was also waiting for Evelyn to come around the corner to know that she was safe.”
For her part, Evelyn said her thoughts evacuating the building were on her two children and how she could let them know she was alive in a time before the majority of people owned cell phones.
“You’re trained for this but never expect to have to use your training,” Evelyn said. “I suffer from PTSD because I came in the next day and you have all the bodies that they found lying in the middle of the courtyard covered with white tarp. It was very traumatic for me.”
In some ways, David believes returning to work immediately following the attack helped the couple regain a sense of normalcy. “It helped us to go back to work the next day and see the recovery efforts start immediately.”
When asked how they cope with such an experience, David responded “I think God has given me peace about this. It’s almost like someone breaks into your house and robs you of more than just your possessions. I’ve never had a feeling like that before.”
“It’s our faith in God that has gotten us through this.”
-Information courtesy Lt. Chris Ball, Henderson Police Department
On August 28, 2018, the Henderson Police Department responded to a call for service at the Marathon gas station on Dabney Drive beside Union Bank. On the scene behind the store, a body of a deceased middle-aged African American male was found. The medical examiner was contacted and identification was later made through the State Medical Examiner’s Office.
Pending proper identification of the deceased and notification of the next of kin, the Henderson Police Department has only just now been able to release the following: the individual was identified as Kenneth Durham. No foul play is suspected.
Updated Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 12:30 p.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.)
With Hurricane Florence now only a few days away from us, our preparation efforts are now in full swing. As you can see from the latest weather briefing from the National Weather Service, this is a powerful storm that is expected to bring tremendous rainfall and damaging winds to our area of NC.
Widespread power outages are likely due to falling trees and wind. There is tremendous potential for widespread flooding and flash flooding as well. At this time, we are anticipating the tropical storm force winds to reach us late Thursday evening, but that could certainly change as the system gets closer to us.
We will be having a responder briefing which will include City and County government personnel on the apparatus floor of Henderson Fire Department Station 1 located at 211 Dabney Drive in Henderson. The briefing will begin at 3 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday). Representatives from all responder agencies are strongly encouraged to attend.
Additionally, we are planning on recommending that a local Proclamation of a State of Emergency be put in place at the conclusion of tomorrows responder briefing. It will remain in place throughout the storm.
At this time we are planning to open a single, centrally located shelter at Eaton Jonson’s Middle School, located at 500 N. Beckford Drive in Henderson. We may adjust the opening time slightly as the storm gets closer to us but for now, we will open the shelter at 9 a.m. on Thursday. Below is a list of shelter items that every shelter occupant MUST bring with them to the shelter. We will do limited feeding at the shelter but will not be supplying personal items or any other items that occupants might have forgotten, so please refer to the list and read it carefully.
We are particularly concerned for residents who live in mobile/manufactured homes. We are expected to have tropical storm force winds in our area, which can cause significant damage, especially to smaller structures. We are therefore encouraging those residents who live in mobile homes to report to the shelter.
If you are a resident that does not have a way to the shelter, then please reach out to our office and we will do our best to arrange it with KARTS. They are willing to provide limited transportation services if anyone absolutely does not have another way to get there. We are encouraging residents who do not have transportation of their own to reach out to family members and neighbors first. This will ensure that they are available to those who absolutely do not have any other means of travel. If you have a need to transport a pet using KARTS, they will not transport it unless it is secured in an animal crate.
For those who have pets they wish to bring to the shelter, they must bring their pets to the Vance County Animal Shelter located on Brodie Road in Henderson. You will need to leave your pet there and then report to the general population shelter. You will be reunited with your pet after the storm. If you have a crate for your pet you must bring it with you to the shelter.
We will also be announcing our shelter openings utilizing our CODE RED community alert system, radio, print and social media, so please follow us on Facebook.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to take the time to prepare before the storm’s arrival. There is still time, so please use the attached as a guide. Remember, if this is a significant impact across the state (and it is believed that will be the case,) it could take days for any significant help to reach us. Therefore we strongly encourage everyone to be 72 hours self- sufficient.
Further updates will be forwarded along as they are received.
