Hoke County - Hurricane Florence Update

-Hoke County is under a tropical storm warning and flash flood warning.
-The National Guard in Raeford is on standby, and firefighter teams from as far away as Waynesville and Bahama are in town to assist with the emergency management response to Florence.
-There are three shelters open for Hoke residents evacuating for Hurricane Florence: Don Steed Elementary, which also has a pet shelter for people staying there; and Sandy Grove Middle School and West Hoke Middle School, which do not accept pets and can't provide assistance for people with special needs. Officials report they are considering opening a fourth shelter, if that happens we'll let you know ASAP. Over 300 people have checked in to the shelters. For more info on the shelters and what to bring/what not to bring, visit www.readyhoke.org.
-Transportation to the shelter, particularly for the elderly or disabled, is available through Hoke Area Transportation (HATS), until/unless worsening weather conditions make it impossible to operate. Those with transportation needs should call (910) 848-4646 and ask for the Transportation Coordinator.
-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.
-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
-Hoke County will be under a curfew every night from 7 p.m.-7 a.m. until the state of emergency declaration is lifted. See details on the curfew here: https://www.facebook.com/HokeEmergencyManagement/posts/468298257007226
-Many offices, agencies and businesses are either closing tomorrow or have reduced hours. Hoke County Schools, Hoke County government, city of Raeford government offices are closed Friday. If in doubt, check with your place of business about their hours.
-You can sign up for automated emergency telephone notifications from Hoke County by going here: https://member.everbridge.net/index/892807736721708#/login The county used its automated phone system yesterday afternoon to make Hoke residents aware of the storm and the shelters that are available.
-The North Carolina Fall Festival has been rescheduled for November 1-3. The Turkey Bowl football game (and other school sporting events) have been moved to next week.
-We welcome your storm news and photos, you can submit them at https://form.jotform.com/82524715657160 and view all storm updates at https://thenews-journal.blogspot.com/
-Because mail delivery is uncertain, and for the benefit of everyone who would like to read it, we're making this week's paper free to everyone online. Follow this link:
Read The News-Journal free this week
http://www.thenews-journal.com/pages/onlineNJ152.html
(We do hope everyone will subscribe, because not only will you keep informed through the year about Hoke County issues, you'll be supporting our mission. Thanks) Subscribe here: https://form.jotform.com/81356381257157
-Ken and Catharin