As Brunswick County continues to recover from damage caused by flooding from last week’s unnamed storm, officials here are urging residents to keep an eye on a newly formed tropical storm they hope skirts well west of southeastern North Carolina.
Topical Storm Helene formed Tuesday and is forecast make landfall Thursday around the Gulf Coast of Florida.
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As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, Helene’s center was near latitude 19.5 degrees north, longitude 84.3 degrees west, and the storm was moving toward the northwest at about 12 mph.
The forecast for Friday and into the weekend in the Brunswick County area could include rain, depending “on the timing and location of remnants of the system and will need to be monitored,” according to a county update issued Tuesday.
Brunswick County and portions of New Hanover County, including Carolina Beach, were awash with flooding after the recent storm that unexpectedly dumped upwards of 20 inches of rain.
Floodwaters closed schools, damaged and washed out portions of roads and displaced residents in Brunswick County.
The American Red Cross shelter has relocated from the Brunswick Center at Leland to The First Tee of Coastal Carolinas, 445 Tarkin Court NW, Shallotte.
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James Jarvis, executive director of the Red Cross Cape Fear Chapter, said by phone Tuesday morning that the shelter was housing one person.
“We’re prepared to receive more,” he said.
The Red Cross is working with some residents displaced after a building in a senior living community in Southport was inundated by flooding. Jarvis said eight units within the building were damaged.
Individuals and families in need of post-storm assistance, including shelter, may call 1-800-RED-CROSS or the Brunswick County call center at 910-253-5383. The call center is operated 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
More than a dozen Brunswick County schools are to open their doors Wednesday. Schools were closed last week because of damaged roads.
The schools opening for face-to-face instruction include the following:
- North Brunswick High School.
- West Brunswick High School.
- The COAST.
- BCECHS.
- Leland Middle School.
- Shallotte Middle School.
- Town Creek Middle School.
- Waccamaw School.
- Jessie Mae Monroe Elementary School.
- Union Elementary School.
- Supply Elementary School.
- Lincoln Elementary School.
- Belville Elementary School.
- Town Creek Elementary School.
“If there is an opportunity to open more of our schools, we will update you all as soon as possible,” a Brunswick County Schools Facebook post states.
The latest road conditions and closures in the county may be found here.
Real-time road incidents may be checked by visiting the North Carolina Department of Transportation‘s DriveNC.gov map (using the Potential Tropical Cyclone filter), the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office’s social media pages and mobile app, and local municipal pages.
The county landfill continues to operate on its regular schedule. The Free Cleanup Week at the Brunswick County Landfill has been extended through Saturday to allow residents additional time to benefit from this service following the storm.
Stay prepared, alert.
Brunswick County residents are encouraged to be prepared during hurricane season. Residents should take the following preparedness tips:
- Register for the ReadyBrunswick emergency notification system.
- Track updates weather updates from the National Weather Service’s Wilmington office at weather.gov/ilm. The latest weather briefings are available at weather.gov/ilm/briefing.
- Have multiple ways to receive weather updates, including local news and radio stations, NOAA weather radios, and emergency alert notifications.
- Create a plan to keep you, your family, and pets safe if flooding is forecast for your area.
