State of Emergency for Beaufort County | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: We have and will do a series of these posts until the storm has passed or I am out of power.

For Immediate Release:

    The Chairman of the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners issued a State of Emergency Thursday, July 3rd in anticipation of Hurricane Arthur.

    Due to "very serious" concerns for rainfall amounts and wind-blown water from the Pamlico Sound flooding the Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, officials have issued mandatory evacuation orders for low lying areas and areas that are prone to flooding throughout Beaufort County. The County Emergency Management staff considers the definition of "low lying areas" as any area where residents are required to purchase flood insurance or areas where residents have had flooding or rising water in past rain or wind events.

    At 4:00pm Thursday, July 3rd, Beaufort County will open two primary shelters at Northside High School and Southside High School. For residents who chose to stay at one of these shelters, Animal Control will accommodate animals at 3931 US 264 East Washington. Timing of this announcement should provide all Beaufort County residents who wish to evacuate sufficient time to reach one of these shelters. "These two shelters provide us with resources to sufficiently handle evacuees from these low lying areas in Beaufort County," reported Randell Woodruff, County Manger.

    All individual shelter residents should report to the shelter with a bedroll or sleeping bag, a pillow, a towel, and personal care items. Residents with special needs should report to the shelter with a relative or person who is capable of providing for their care. Employers that provide room and board for individuals who speak English as a second language are encouraged to contact the Beaufort County Emergency Operations Center should they need to make shelter arrangements for employees.

    Current predictions of Hurricane Arthur's path indicate that Beaufort County could see tropical storm force winds late Thursday afternoon, and officials urge residents in low lying areas to make evacuation plans now for departure from their homes as roads may prove impassable after 6:00 pm Thursday afternoon. "We are extremely concerned with the area of Aurora as the proximity of this storm's track has predictions for storm surge as high as 3-5 feet in those areas," reports John Pack with Beaufort County Emergency Management. Officials caution residents throughout Beaufort County, and not just these areas, that they should decide now about their plans as storm surge, flooding, and the possibility of falling trees is a real risk with this storm.

    We encourage Beaufort County residents who are making arrangements for themselves to also think about neighbors and relatives who may have difficulty evacuating. All residents who wish to evacuate and have issues traveling to one of the two primary shelter sites can contact the Beaufort County Emergency Operations Center at 946-2046 for information.

     Randell Woodruff
      Beaufort County Manager



The position of Hurricane Arthur as of 2:50 pm, July 3, 2014: Above.