Friday Morning

Hoke Emergency Management Director Bryan Marley reports a "smooth" night for the most part in Hoke County. Of course, he says, the storm is still arriving here, and intensification is expected this morning. 

Four shelters are open in Hoke County—at Don Steed Elementary, Sandy Grove Middle, West Hoke Middle and Hoke High Gibson side. Pets may be taken to their own shelter at Don Steed Elementary. You must feed, water and care for them while there. More info on shelters is here: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/1adf32_a4baf7aecd29482db2501e822fe55cfb.pdf

The forecast track of Hurricane Florence has changed very little. From the 5 a.m. advisory: "The center of Florence will be moving inland very soon, but is expected to slow down even more today and tonight.  As

a result, it will remain fairly close to the coast today, with much of the circulation still over water. Therefore only a gradual decrease in intensity is called for through tonight. Over the weekend, a faster rate of weakening is likely while the center moves at a faster pace and goes farther inland."

The National Weather Service says winds will continue to increase in Hoke County, reaching their peak by nightfall, then begin a slow steady decline. Steady winds in the neighborhood of 45 mph with higher gusts are expected. So far, in downtown Raeford, our maximum gust at The News-Journal has been 35 mph. We've also seen very little rain but that will be changing by lunchtime.

So far about 50 homes are without power in Hoke County (as of about 6:30 a.m.), mostly in the southern portion of the county. No estimate on the time it will take to restore power. A reminder from county officials: do not call 911 if your power goes out. Call your power company to report the outage. 911 cannot do anything about power outages.

Duke Energy: 800-419-6356 | Lumbee River EMC: 800-683-5571

For help with storm related questions or other information, call the automated information line at (910) 848-4645 or to speak with a staff member, call (910) 848-4646.
Hoke County Emergency Management Director Bryan Marley warned citizens that during the storm, the emergency operations center (EOC) team will do their best to help people with questions but that they expect a high call volume.

We'll provide an update around noon, and, of course, at conditions warrant.

—Ken