Robeson County and Lumberton suffered some of the worst damage from Hurricane Florence last year and Matthew in 2016. Now it's bracing for Dorian.
Even though it's still unclear whether there's any serious threat, local officials have seen too much destruction lately from hurricanes, so they're not wasting time getting ready.
"Robeson County has been preparing for several days now, over the holiday weekend, and just preparing and getting our emergency management teams together," said county spokeswoman Emily Jones. "We're getting our shelters ready to go. We are going to be activating to shelters this evening at seven o'clock."
Lumberton has been building a temporary berm this week to plug a gap in a levee where some of the worst flooding rushed in from the Lumber River.
Jones says the county has opened its emergency operations center again, is making arrangements for residents with health issues, and providing transportation to the shelters.
Jones says the county still has residents displaced from both earlier storms.
The county — especially in the city of Lumberton — suffered damage to hundreds of homes and businesses during the earlier storms, mostly from flooding.