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Florence is Coming. Here Are Some Resources to Help Keep You Safe

Hurricane path shifts south. Heavy rains forecast for WNC.

With the path of Hurricane Florence shifting south, parts of Western North Carolina could see high winds and significant rain this weekend.

For the latest storm tracking reports and forecasts, check out:
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ graphics_at1.shtml?cone# contents
Or https://google.org/crisismap/ 2018-florence

Water Safety

Our French Broad, Green and Watauga Riverkeepers and the Broad River Alliance urge paddlers to use common sense and stay out of rushing rivers and high winds until they return to safe levels. Do not try to paddle during a hurricane.

You can check the French Broad River Gauge page to see if it is safe to paddle:
https://frenchbroadpaddle.com/gauges

For other WNC rivers, you can check the USGS websitehttps://waterdata.usgs.gov/nc/nwis/current/?type=flow

Park Closures

The Blue Ridge Parkway has issued an emergency evacuation order for its campsites. For more Parkway updates:
https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

Pisgah-Nantahala National Forests have issued a closure for all campgrounds and recreation sites, day use or overnight, and asked that people not use public trails until the storm passes: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/nfsnc/alerts-notices/?aid=49130

Great Smoky Mountain National Park has yet to issue any hurricane-related advisories or closures. For more updates, visit: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm

Landslides and Flooding

Because it’s been a wet summer, Florence’s prolonged rain storms have the potential to cause flooding and landslides.

Check out the NC Department of Public Safety’s preparedness resources for steps you can take before, during and after a flood or landslide to lower your risks. This includes not walking or driving through moving water. Six inches of moving water can sweep you off your feet and 11 inches can move a vehicle.

Floods: https://readync.org/EN/Informed_NatHaz_Flood.html
Landslides: https://readync.org/EN/Informed_NatHaz_Landslide.html

Other Resources

Created by the United Way of North Carolina, the North Carolina 2-1-1 site offers community health and human services resources and services, and real-time support and communications during emergencies and disasters: https://www.nc211.org/

Duke Energy has a special online resource for Hurricane Florence with links to view current outages and report new ones: https://www.dukeenergyupdates.com/florence/north-carolina

The Department of Public Safety also has a special resource page for Hurricane Florence with updates on evacuations, road conditions and shelter locations: https://www.ncdps.gov/florence

The storm’s path could shift over the next few days and forecasts could change dramatically. Stay informed, be safe and get prepared in the days to come.