Newton, NC – As Hurricane Florence approaches the Eastern seaboard, Catawba County Emergency Management is monitoring the storm closely around the clock. Because we are likely to see effects of the storm on Thursday, following is some helpful information to assist Catawba County residents with local readiness efforts: Registering for the Catawba County Community Alert System is key to receiving accurate, official information from local authorities during critical times. The Community Alert System can also send Weather Warnings directly to your phone within seconds of the National Weather Service issuing warnings for floods, tornadoes and severe weather. Sign up online at www.catawbacountync.gov/alert. There is no cost to sign up.
The best family and business emergency preparedness information for a hurricane, flooding and tornadoes can be found at www.ready.gov.
We recommend everyone have enough bottled water for every person in their home for at least 3 days as well as canned or non-perishable food, flashlights, fresh batteries and a first aid kit.
To get current hurricane preparedness and response information from Catawba County, follow us on social media. On Facebook, we can be found at Catawba County Emergency Services and Catawba County, North Carolina. Our Twitter handles are @CatCoEM and @CatawbaCounty.
Smartphone apps we like: the ReadyNC app (free) has North Carolina specific shelter information, roadway information, power outages and safety tips during a storm all in one spot. The CodeRED mobile app (fee may be charged to download) is an app-based way to see community alerts issued in our area. In addition, most of the Charlotte area TV stations and The Weather Channel have apps that can provide updated news.
