After making an intense landfall in Cuba, battering Florida and moving through South Carolina, Tropical Storm Ian will soon reach North Carolina.

The National Weather Service issued a Tropical Storm Warning for much of the state on Thursday, with Orange County included in the alert. The federal agency said high winds and heavy rain can be expected through the day on Friday after starting Thursday night. While rain is expected to continue through the weekend, the tropical storm is expected to bring 3-6 inches in Orange County from Friday through Saturday afternoon. Sustained wind is forecasted, with some gusts potentially exceeding 40 mph.

SCHOOL CLOSINGS

As a result, two of the local school districts are urging students and families to stay home. A release from Orange County Schools on Thursday afternoon said because of the “hazardous conditions” forecasted for the region on Friday, it is turning September 30 into a teacher workday for staff and there will be no class for students. Additionally, all Orange County Schools events scheduled for Thursday night are canceled, including athletic matches and family nights, with homecoming at Orange High School set to be rescheduled. Any school events planned for the weekend are also now cancelled.

Orange County Schools leadership said Thursday it will provide an additional update to students, families and staff by Sunday evening if the district’s schedule requires any further changes due to the weather.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools followed suit later on Thursday afternoon, saying the following day will be an optional teacher work day for its district. Community Schools, other after-school programs and athletics events are also all canceled or postponed through the weekend.

Durham County Schools also shared their students and staff will have a workday on Friday instead of holding classes.

Chatham County Schools announced they are moving students to remote learning on Friday. The district’s announcement said if there are power outages within the community as a result of the storm, then students will move to asynchronous learning days. All Chatham County Schools campuses and district offices will be closed, while all school-related activities for Friday evening and Saturday are canceled. Thursday’s release said the decision was made “to ensure the safety of our students and staff.”

The local universities issued responses to the storm as well. Duke University announced it would cancel classes after 1 p.m. on Friday ahead of adverse weather. All Durham Technical Community College campuses closed in-person classes on Friday as well, moving the school to operate on a “yellow” designation where activities must be online or canceled. In Chapel Hill, the UNC campus is operating under a Condition 1 on Friday, meaning there are reduced operations but classes are still scheduled. The university announced the plan Thursday night.

PREPAREDNESS

With predicted flooding and potential landslides from heavy rains, as well as the chance for tornadoes and strong winds throughout Friday, Governor Roy Cooper had an urgent message to North Carolinians ahead of the storm’s arrival.

“I want to be clear: this storm can still be dangerous and even deadly,” he said.

The governor asked residents remember the destruction Tropical Storm Fred brought to western North Carolina just more than one year ago, as the extreme weather and resulting damage killed six people. When responding to a question about whether Hurricane Ian’s devastation in Florida affected his state’s planned response, Cooper said at this point, North Carolina is well aware of the threats such extreme weather can bring.

“We know that these storms can be unpredictable and their strength can be so impactful,” he said. “We, unfortunately, know the plan in North Carolina. We have a lot of experience having gone through these storms, and so I think we’re ready across the board.”

To help respond, the governor issued a state of emergency due to the storm on Wednesday. The measure allowed North Carolina Emergency Management Director Will Ray to get down to work, coordinating with many of departments, organizations and teams. On Thursday, Ray said there were hundreds of personnel stationed at the emergency center in Raleigh and at facilities in the mountains, piedmont and coastal areas.

Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette urged North Carolinians to avoid unnecessary travel during the storm. He said between the chances of road flooding and damage, several NCDOT teams will be at the ready for roads to be cleared once it’s safe.

“We will work to get our roads open as swiftly as possible, using our contract partners as needed,” said Boyette. “Safety is always our number one priority, and we want to make sure everyone stays off the roads in the storm-affected areas.

“Please don’t drive through roads with standing water,” the transportation secretary added. “Turn around, don’t drown.”

The governor also suggested people assemble or double-check their emergency kits – a key resource for residents who may either be stuck in one location, lose power or need medical attention. Suggestions for emergency kit items and supplies can be found on the Ready NC website.

RESOURCES

The Orange County government and emergency services offer an alert system to community members, which will be active for the expected storm. Those who are interested in receiving text, phone and email alerts can sign up here.

The American Red Cross offers the free Red Cross Emergency App, which provides “real-time weather alerts, open shelters, and expert advice on emergency situations.” The organization also has more preparedness and safety resources on its preparedness web page.

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