Updated Thursday, Sept. 13 at 3 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 by clicking here. The forecast – including rainfall amounts, wind speeds and storm direction – is remaining steady from earlier today.
Updated Thursday, Sept. 13 at 10:30 a.m.
We should begin to feel the effects of the storm late this evening and tonight with conditions gradually worsening overnight and into tomorrow. They have increased our rainfall potential slightly but, other than that, nothing much has changed.
We have now officially decided to open the emergency shelter at Eaton Johnson Middle School located on Beckford Drive in Henderson at 5 p.m. today. Please DO NOT arrive early as no one will be there and the school will likely be locked until that time.
We are using our CODE RED system to get this message out to all of our citizens this morning. If you are not already signed up to receive messages on that system, please visit our web page at www.vancecounty.org/EM and click on the Emergency Alert System link to sign up. This system will be used to issue important notices prior to and after the storm’s impact.
We will be activating the Emergency Operations Center at 5 p.m. this evening and will begin 24-hour EOC operations at that time. As of now, we are at Readiness Level 1, which is our highest level in preparation for the storm. The 911 Center will be overstaffed as of 11 a.m. today and will remain that way throughout the storm. We are expecting the communications center to be extremely busy during the storm, so we are asking residents NOT to dial 911 for general questions to ensure that true emergency calls are able to get through.
Please “like” Vance County Emergency Operations on Facebook to stay up to date on what is happening with the storm. We will also continue to forward along all relevant information as it is received.
Stay Safe.
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Updated Thursday, Sept. 13 at 9 a.m.
Hurricane Florence is approaching the coast and will slow today, and make landfall early Friday along the southern North Carolina coast, then slowly meander southwest into and across South Carolina. Confidence is HIGH that the event will occur; MODERATE confidence in expected impacts.
Strong sustained winds and gusts expected on Friday, likely persisting into the weekend. Strongest gusts expected across the southeastern coastal plain of NC. Flash and eventually river flooding likely beginning this evening and persisting through the weekend and into early next week. A risk for short-lived and weak tornadoes as the rain bands push ashore this evening through Saturday afternoon.
YOUR PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE IN PLACE NO LATER THAN MID-DAY TODAY!
Three Key Points
1. Hurricane Warning now in effect for Sampson and Wayne Counties. Tropical Storm Warning for Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Nash, Richmond, Wake and Wilson counties.
2. Prolonged, life-threatening inland flooding event from heavy rain is expected across much of southern and eastern N.C.
3. Dangerous winds will also result in downed trees which will likely culminate in widespread and prolonged power outages.
For a much more detailed breakdown of the current forecast, including expected wind speed and rainfall amounts in our area, visit the National Weather Service website by clicking here.