The potential for severe weather in Lincoln County has increased with the latest forecast predictions. Here is what you need to know...
The City of Lincolnton and Lincoln County have been working hard to prepare our community in advance of Hurricane Florence and any impact to our area. According to the National Weather Service, Lincoln County may experience anywhere from 8 to 13 inches of rainfall during the duration of Hurricane Florence passing through the area as well as sustained winds around 20 miles an hour with gusts reaching up to 45 miles an hour. There is a possibility of tornadoes through the area between Saturday and Sunday. Lincoln County will be under a Flash Flood Watch starting Saturday September 15, 2018 and set to expire the evening of Monday September 17, 2018. The main concern however for the area will be excessive rain and the possibility of trees and powerlines down in the area. Power outages are likely as a result of the high winds and down trees
The afternoon briefing with Lincoln County Emergency Management concluded with a decision to pre-position resources and supplies for Shelter Operations to speed up the opening of a Shelter if necessary.
Here's an update on City of Lincolnton Operations:
- All City Parks are closed until Monday morning. This includes Betty Ross Park & the Lentz Recreation Center, Highland Park, First Federal Park and City Park. Parks will re-open on Monday 9/17 if weather permits.
- There will be no City Park recycling drop-off on Saturday, 9/15. In addition all Lincoln County Convenience Sites and the Landfill are closed for the weekend.
- The Lincoln County Library Book Sale is cancelled on Saturday and all County Libraries are closed for the weekend.
- All City and County buildings will be closed for the weekend.
- Lincoln County Emergency Management has set up a storm damage reporting tool at this link.
Lincoln County Emergency Management will be staffing the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) until 8:00PM Friday and will begin ramping up staffing Saturday morning as needed. The EOC will stay operational 24/7 starting Saturday. The Emergency Management Information Line, 704-479-2079, has been activated and will be functional during the duration of the event. If the line is not answered, Emergency Management staff will continue to monitor messages and will attempt to return all calls within 24 hours.
Officials are continuing to monitor the weather and forecasts for the need of opening shelters within the County. Currently, Lincoln County officials are staging resources at Lincolnton High School to prepare for sheltering. At this time, the shelter will not be open, but staff is prepared to make the call to open a shelter for Lincoln County residents as soon as the need arises. If a shelter is open, they will be able to accept residents with animals and Lincoln County Animal Control will be on site to help assist with the sheltering of animals.
As Hurricane Florence moves through the Carolinas, Lincoln County Emergency Management will work on updates to the general public as needed. Please stay tuned to your local weather provider or news source. The National Weather Service is a good resource for information concerning the expected impacts of the storm.
Here are the 5pm advisories from the National Hurricane Center:
