Roanoke Rapids City Joseph Scherer told council this evening departments are preparing to respond any affects from Hurricane Matthew over the weekend.
“Governor McCrory has declared a state of emergency for the eastern part of the state,”Scherer said. “Will will coordinate with county emergency management as we get closer to the weekend for response plans.”
Scherer said the city is concerned about trees being downed by wind with the ground saturated from recent rains.
Dominion is planning to stage response vehicles at the theater parking lot as they have done in the past, he said.
(A PDF of the National Weather Service Tuesday briefing is included as an attachment at the end of this story)
The impending storm has already moved Roanoke Rapids High School homecoming festivities, including the football game, to 7 p.m. Thursday.
At a Tuesday noon briefing, the National Weather Service said Matthew will begin affecting central North Carolina as early as Friday morning, with full impacts from late Friday through Saturday.
Primary central North Carolina hazards, the NWS said, will include heavy rain and flooding and occasional gusty winds.
Beginning Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. the NWS in Raleigh will host its first of several all-partners webinars regarding Hurricane Matthew's hazards and impacts across central North Carolina. Here is the planned webinar schedule through Saturday:
Wed, Oct 5, 2016 11:30 a.m. - full briefing
Wed, Oct 5, 2016 4:30 p.m. - afternoon update
Thu, Oct 6, 2016 11:30 a.m.- full briefing
Thu, Oct 6, 2016 4:30 p.m. - afternoon update
Fri, Oct 7, 2016 11:30 a.m. - full briefing
Fri, Oct 7, 2016 4:30 p.m. - afternoon update
Sat, Oct 8, 2016 11:30 a.m. - full briefing
Sat, Oct 8, 2016 4:30 p.m. - afternoon update