Shelters open for residents, animals
By Sierra Henry
Published in News on September 13, 2018 5:50 AM
The Office of Emergency Services and the Wayne County Sheriff's Office urges Wayne County residents to finalize their preparations for Hurricane Florence and locate a safe place to stay sheltered by 5 p.m. today.
While the storm appears to be turning toward the southwest, the OES and Wayne County Sheriff's Office said residents should continue monitoring the storm.
Once winds reach a sustained 50 mph, all Wayne County emergency personnel will be removed from the roads and sheltered until it is safe for them to resume working. Emergency personnel also will not be available for assistance during that time.
The OES designated the following shelter locations for Wayne County:
• Wayne Academy, 801 N. Lionel St., Goldsboro
• Tommy's Road Elementary School, 1150 Tommy's Road, Goldsboro
• Spring Creek High School, 4340 Indian Springs Road, Seven Springs
• Carver Elementary School, 400 Old Seven Springs Road, Mount Olive
Shelters will open today at 10 a.m. to Wayne County residents displaced during Hurricane Florence, with additional shelters announced as needed. Those staying in shelters during the storm should bring personal hygiene items, medication and specific supplies for infants, children and seniors. Meals will be provided starting with dinner tonight.
"We're not going to make a declaration of who should go (to the shelter), but people who feel as though they are not in a safe shelter should," said Carol Bowden, Wayne County director of public affairs.
Bowden said that anyone who is new to the area and is not familiar with which areas are prone to flooding, or if they have a question about the area they are living in, should contact the Wayne County Planning Department for more information.
At this time, there is no curfew or evacuation order set for Wayne County.
Shelter residents are asked to contact the Wayne County Animal Shelter at 919-731-1439 to make arrangements for their pets. No pets will be allowed at the four residential shelters, except for service animals.
The Wayne County Animal Shelter is located at 1600 Clingman St. and will open at noon today to accept pets. Owners can begin making arrangements for their pets with the animal shelter starting at 10 a.m.
The animal shelter will require owners to bring their driver's license and provide information about where they will be located during the storm. Owners should also bring their animal's vaccination history, as well as any special food the pet may need.
During the storm, the shelter will be closed to the public, starting today, and no animal surrenders will be accepted due to limited space for displaced pets.
If flooding prevents access north of the Neuse River, the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fairgrounds will open as a pet shelter. Additional pet shelters will be announced as needed.