-Information courtesy Kristen G. King, Clerk to the Board, County of Franklin
UPDATE: Wednesday, September 19 at 9:30 a.m.
The latest forecast indicates that the Tar River in Louisburg will peak at 21.1 ft tonight, Wednesday, September 19 at 6 p.m. Minor flood stage for the Tar River in Louisburg is 20.0 ft. Moderate flood stage is 22 ft.
-Information and chart courtesy Kristen G. King, Clerk to the Board, County of Franklin
As of Tuesday, September 18, the latest forecast is that the Tar River in Louisburg will peak at 19.05 ft tomorrow, Wednesday, September 19, 2018, at 6 p.m.
Minor flood stage for the Tar River in Louisburg is 20.0 ft.
-Information courtesy Kristen G. King, Clerk to the Board, County of Franklin
Emergency Services Director Jeff Lewis has issued the information below following a recent update on roadways from the North Carolina Department of Transportation:
Citizens are encouraged to move any property you may have located in an early flood-prone area. Emergency Management will continue to monitor the river gauge located in Louisburg.
Update – Friday, September 14 – 11 a.m.
Shelters are currently open at the Louisburg Senior Center (127 Shannon Village) and Franklinton High School (910 Cedar Creek Road). For information about NC shelters, visit ReadyNC.org. You may also monitor https://www.franklincountync.us/alerts/hurricane-florence.
Franklin County residents are urged to sign up for Code Red alerts at https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/76FC03E45CDF.
-Press Release, NC Department of Information Technology
State Chief Information Officer Eric Boyette and State Chief Risk Officer Maria Thompson are urging North Carolinians to be cautious of cybercrime before, during, and after Hurricane Florence.
Cybercriminals take advantage of natural disasters such as hurricanes to solicit personal information illegally and to take advantage of vulnerable infrastructures, disaster victims and volunteers by phishing. Phishing is when a criminal sends out an email, text message, or even a phone call pretending to be a reputable and legitimate source in order to obtain personal information such as credit card and Social Security numbers.
“Be cautious and stay vigilant,” said State Chief Risk Officer Maria Thompson. “Let’s ensure one disaster does not lead to another. Phishing threats are real. Cybercriminals will use every tactic in their arsenal to deprive citizens of their information and ultimately their financial assets.”
Take these steps to prevent being taken advantage of by cybercriminals:
“We all need to be mindful of the value of the data we have and use every day,” said Eric Boyette, State Chief Information Officer and Secretary of the Department of Information Technology. “Too many people are vulnerable during natural disasters and it is imperative to take necessary precautions to protect yourself. Think of it as preparing an emergency kit for your personal data.”
For more information about the North Carolina Department of Information Technology, visit our website or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Flickr.
-Information courtesy Kristen King, Clerk to the Board, Franklin County
Due to Hurricane Florence, all Franklin County Government offices will be closed Friday, September 14 and Saturday, September 15.
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.
-Information courtesy Paul McKenzie, Agricultural Extension Agent, Vance/Warren Counties, NC Cooperative Extension
The gardening public is invited to attend a “Gathering of Gardeners: Practical Strategies for Gardening in Challenging Times and Conditions” on September 22, 2018, 9 a.m. to noon. Gardeners in Warren County and surrounding areas can learn about straw bale gardening, rain barrels and more at this workshop sponsored by the Extension Master Gardener℠ volunteers.
Participants can also get their gardening questions answered from a panel of Master Gardener volunteers. The event will be held at Buck Spring Park near Lake Gaston, located at 217 Nathaniel Macon Dr. Registration is $10 in advance or $12 at the door. All the details are available at https://warren.ces.ncsu.edu/ or by calling 252-257-3640.
Franklin County Solid Waste Facilities to Close Friday, September 14
As a safety precaution for residents, haulers and staff, Franklin County’s twelve solid waste and recycling convenience centers and Solid Waste Transfer Station will be closed on Friday, September 14 due to the anticipated landfall of Hurricane Florence and potential for high winds, downed trees and power lines and flooded roadways.
Franklin County Administrators, Emergency Management officials and Solid Waste Department staff will monitor severe weather conditions and impacts of Hurricane Florence to determine when it will be safe to reopen the convenience centers and the Transfer Station. For updates on when the solid waste facilities will reopen and disposal options, please call the 919-340-4670 or visit www.franklincountync.us/recycles.
-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.
