Hurricane Florence is expected to begin impacting central North Carolina over the next 24 hours. And Orange County Emergency officials reported at midnight that the two emergency shelters opened in the county have taken in 42, including six animals, since opening Wednesday evening.

The hurricane was downgraded from a Category 4 to Category 2 since Wednesday morning. But as the maximum sustained winds have dropped, the storm has expanded in overall size.

Winds are expectedly to increase in Orange County and the surrounding area throughout the day on Thursday with rain possible Thursday afternoon but picking up overnight into Friday. The storm is expected to drop enough rain to cause dangerous conditions, especially in flood-prone areas of our community.

Emergency officials in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and throughout Orange County have spent the last few days preparing for the storm and encouraging residents to do the same.

The two emergency shelters – at Smith Middle School in Chapel Hill and CW Stanford Middle School in Hillsborough – are open and able to take in those who are in need during the storm. More information on the shelters is available here.

North Carolina emergency officials have been staging crews across the central portion of the state in order to quickly respond once the storm begins causing damage to the Tar Heel State.

Photo via Orange County

Related Stories
‹
Orange County Residents Eligible for Hurricane Florence Disaster Relief
Orange County residents are now eligible for disaster assistance in the wake of Hurricane Florence. The county has been declared a disaster county and received an individual assistance declaration by the United States Department of Agriculture. The declaration, according to a release from the county, allows the Orange County Department of Social Services to administer […]
Some Roadways Reopening in Central North Carolina After Hurricane Florence Flooding
Some roadways in Chatham and Durham counties are reopening following washouts earlier this week due to heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Florence. The heavy rains early Monday morning caused widespread flooding issues and caused many roads to be closed. Crews have been working to reopen those roadways and assessing some more long-term project. […]
9/17/18: Orange County Flooding in Pictures
Overnight rains from Hurricane Florence brought flooding to Chapel Hill and other parts of Orange County. Roads were closed and residents of some apartment complexes were forced to evacuate. The 97.9 The Hill WCHL crew took some photographs of flooding in the local area during Monday’s rainstorm. Photos by: Kenny Dike/WCHL Nicki Morse/WCHL Loren Hintz
Orange County Opening Emergency Shelter After Flooding
Orange County has opened a shelter for residents displaced by the flooding that came Monday morning from the final remnants of Hurricane Florence. County emergency officials announced Monday afternoon that a shelter had been opened at the DSS Commons at 113 Mayo Street in Hillsborough. The shelter will be open for up to 72 hours […]
Chapel Hill, Carrboro Establish Emergency Operations After Widespread Flooding
Chapel Hill and Carrboro have reactivated some emergency procedures associated with Hurricane Florence after the last remnants of the storm dropped massive amounts of rain overnight. Carrboro announced it was activating its Emergency Operations Center in response to flooding from the heavy rain early Monday morning. Chapel Hill also has a call center established for […]
Orange County Hurricane Florence Emergency Shelters to Close
The emergency shelter at CW Stanford Middle School closed on Saturday as the evacuees had returned to their homes. The shelter at Smith Middle School remains open and will close at noon Sunday. Anyone who needs to enter a shelter for Saturday night will have to go to the Smith Middle facility.**** Orange County […]
Power Restored in Hillsborough After 'Town Treasure' Tree Falls
Duke Energy restored power to Hillsborough late Friday night.**** Duke Energy is reporting more than 4,000 customers in Orange County are without power as of 10:15 a.m. Friday ahead of the full impact locally from Hurricane Florence. There was a cluster of nearly 1,000 customers without power early Friday morning, but that outage was […]
Outer Bands of Hurricane Florence Impacting Orange County
Hurricane Florence has been approaching North Carolina’s coast throughout the week and is nearing landfall early Friday. The first outer bands of rain associated with the storm passed through Orange County and the surrounding area shortly after 4 a.m. Friday. Heavier rains are expected throughout the day in central North Carolina and are projected to […]
Orange High Alums Now Living in Southport Hoping to Ride Out Hurricane Florence
Hurricane Florence is making its presence known across North Carolina. The massive storm is expected to make landfall in southeast North Carolina early Friday morning. Read Singleton and his wife Terri are both Orange High School graduates who have been living along North Carolina’s coast for nearly a decade. They currently live in Southport, which […]
Orange County Reports 42 in 2 Hurricane Florence Emergency Shelters
Hurricane Florence is expected to begin impacting central North Carolina over the next 24 hours. And Orange County Emergency officials reported at midnight that the two emergency shelters opened in the county have taken in 42, including six animals, since opening Wednesday evening. The hurricane was downgraded from a Category 4 to Category 2 since […]
›