From Beaufort County Emergency Services

Storm Update

We are expecting Hurricane Dorian to impact Beaufort County with hurricane force winds. Winds will begin to increase beginning Thursday mid-afternoon. Forecasted wind gusts of up to 49 mph and sustained winds of up to 38 mph are expected by 6:00 PM Thursday.
It is forecasted that winds will increase over the next 12 hours to gusts of 83 mph and sustained winds of 67 mph by Friday morning at 6:00 AM. Winds are then forecasted to decrease to 31 mph gusts and 23 mph sustained by Friday mid-afternoon. Winds will
bring down trees and cause power and communication outages.

Storm surge is expected to be between 4’ – 6’ above ground level with widespread flash flooding across forecast the region. Storm surge levels will rise rapidly, and wave action will increase the levels. Total rainfall for area is projected to be 5” – 10” with some eastern areas of the county experiencing up to 15”. Heavy rain may exceed 2” per hour at times.

There is a tornado watch in place.

Evacuation

Beaufort County has now increased the voluntary evacuation of all flood prone and low- lying areas of the county to a mandatory evacuation. Please make plans to evacuate these areas no later than 3 p.m. on Thursday. Mandatory evacuation means that when
conditions become unsafe for responders there will be no response until conditions are again safe. People who decide to stay in low-lying and flood prone areas during the storm will be on their own during this period. Please take action now and do not risk your life or
the lives of responders.

Emergency Shelter

Beaufort County has opened an emergency shelter at Washington High School (400 Slatestone Road, Washington). Please remember to bring necessities for several days stay. If you are a special medical need patient in need of shelter, please call 252-946-2046.

Transportation to the Shelter

Beaufort County will be providing transportation to the Washington shelter from various parts of the county according to the following information:

Belhaven Food Lion Parking Lot
Thursday 9/5/2019 10:00 AM departure time
Thursday 9/5/2019 12:00 PM departure time

Aurora Fire Department
Thursday 9/5/2019 10:00 AM departure time
Thursday 9/5/2019 12:00 PM departure time

Blount’s Creek Fire Department
Thursday 9/5/2019 10:30 AM departure time
Thursday 9/5/2019 12:30 PM departure time

Chocowinity Food Lion Parking Lot
Thursday 9/5/2019 11:00 AM departure time
Thursday 9/5/2019 1:00 PM departure time

Special Transportation Needs

If you have mobility issues and need special transportation assistance, please contact Beaufort Area Transit System (BATS) at (252) 946-5778. We urge you not to delay in scheduling this transportation.

Animals for Shelter Attendees

Animals other than service animals are not allowed at the shelter nor on bus transportation. Shelter attendees with no other arrangement for animals may check their animal into the Beaufort County Animal Shelter. You must have a verification form provided by shelter staff to check your animal into the Beaufort County Animal Shelter.

Please remember that Hurricane Dorian is a serious threat to our community. Please take every action available to keep yourself and your family safe.

County Office Schedule
Beaufort County Offices will close at 12 p.m. on Thursday September 5, 2019 and will remain closed through Friday September 6, 2019.

Additional Information
County staff will be providing updated information throughout this weather event. Please check the county web-site home page at https://co.beaufort.nc.us