NC Governor Roy Cooper Urges Residents To Stay Alert As Hurricane Florence Approaches

This morning Governor Roy Cooper held a media briefing on Hurricane Florence in Raleigh, where he encouraged residents to stay vigilant.

Flanked by public and state officials, Gov. Cooper covered a host of hurricane-related safety issues and took questions from reporters on a range of important topics from hog waste management to the plight of residents still recovering from Hurricane Matthew.

But his overarching message was simple.

“Don't relax. Stay on guard,” said Cooper.

The governor expressed concern that some North Carolinians are getting complacent following news of changing landfall predictions and decreasing wind speeds.

“But we've traded that for a larger wind field that expands 200 miles with tropical storm force winds,” said Cooper. “And our greatest concern about this storm remains the same: storm surge and massive flooding.”

North Carolina Emergency Management is predicting tens of thousands of structures could be flooded from Hurricane Florence. Currently there are approximately 108 statewide shelters in place where people can stay safe throughout the duration of the storm. Governor Cooper has ordered 2,800 National Guard soldiers to report for duty to help in this time of crisis.