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'Folks really need to stay off the roads': NC officials deliver Hurricane Ian update

Governor Roy Cooper and state emergency management officials deliver an update on Hurricane Ian, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.
Gov. Cooper Official Twitter
Governor Roy Cooper and state emergency management officials deliver an update on Hurricane Ian, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.

North Carolina emergency management leaders say people should stay indoors and off the roads, if at all possible. Hurricane Ian made landfall in South Carolina this afternoon and is expected to reach North Carolina tonight.

Utility crews from other parts of the country were brought in and are on standby to restore power as needed. In a Friday afternoon briefing, Emergency Management Director William Ray said flash flooding is possible in many parts of the state, which brings higher risks when driving.

"Folks really need to stay off the roads. Just with how quickly the water can move and shift and come and go. That still is very much a threat and a hazard out there," said Ray.

State emergency management officials along with the National Guard and local first responders are "staged across the state," said Governor Roy Cooper.

Rainfall totals had already reached nearly two inches in Goldsboro by Friday afternoon. Heavy rains are expected throughout much of North Carolina this evening and night.

More than 70,000 Duke Energy customers — the state's largest utility — were already without power as of 3:45 p.m., as Hurricane Ian gets closer to North Carolina. To keep track of power outages in your area, you can sign up for text or email alerts from Duke Energy.

Cooper said that at least 71 school districts are either on modified school schedules or closed during the storm.

Jason deBruyn is WUNC's Supervising Editor for Digital News, a position he took in 2024. He has been in the WUNC newsroom since 2016 as a reporter.
Laura Pellicer is a digital reporter with WUNC’s small but intrepid digital news team.
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