Tuesday, Sept. 11, 8:40 a.m.
Hurricane Florence, now a category 4 hurricane, is expected to devastate the region, including much of North Carolina. The storm is expected to make landfall near Wilmington on Thursday with impacts starting Wednesday. The governors of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina each declared a state of emergency.
“We face three critical threats from Florence: ocean surge along our coast, strong winds and inland flooding from heavy rain,” Gov. Roy Cooper said. “Wherever you live in North Carolina, you need to get ready for this storm now and you need to evacuate if asked to.”
Tim Hass of the N.C. Ferry Division said all ferries will run on their normal schedules today (Tuesday). The division is meeting at noon today to determine the Wednesday schedule.
Hyde County announced Monday night that the designated evacuation shelter for Hyde County residents is Knightdale High School, 100 Bryan Chalk Lane, Knightdale, NC 27545.
This shelter is open to all Hyde County residents that wish to use it. The shelter will open today at 2 p.m. The shelter is pet friendly and equipped to handle animals.
For those without a means to travel to safety, Hyde County is planning to offer transportation and more information will be forthcoming. Officials are finalizing these plans and hope to release more details by Tuesday afternoon.
If you have any questions regarding the evacuation or shelter, contact the Hyde County Emergency Operations Center at 252-926-3715.
According to a statement by Cooper, the following counties have ordered evacuations, with more anticipated today:
Bertie County – voluntary evacuation of waterfront and low-lying areas effective Wednesday, Sept. 12.
Brunswick County – voluntary evacuation of unincorporated areas effective Tuesday, Sept. 11; mandatory evacuation of low-lying and flood-prone areas, people in substandard or mobile homes effective Tuesday, Sept. 11.
Currituck County – mandatory evacuation for Currituck Outer Banks (Corolla and Carova) effective 7 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11.
Dare County – mandatory evacuation for Hatteras Island effective noon Monday, Sept. 10; mandatory evacuation for entire county effective 7 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11.
Hyde County – mandatory evacuation for visitors to Ocracoke effective Monday, Sept. 10; mandatory evacuation for residents to Ocracoke effective Tuesday, Sept. 11.
New Hanover County – mandatory evacuation for UNCW.
Onslow County – voluntary evacuation of unincorporated areas and Surf City effective Monday, Sept. 10; mandatory evacuation of Topsail Beach effective Tuesday, Sept. 11.
