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BrunsCo. Leaders Prepare for Hurricane Season

By Peter Biello

Wilmington, NC – Brunswick County and state officials are preparing for hurricane season by taking a strong look at their evacuation options.

If a strong hurricane strikes, Brunswick County residents could evacuate in one of two ways.

The first method, the Coastal Evacuation Plan, puts state and local law enforcement officers at checkpoints along Highway 17 to keep traffic moving smoothly away from the storm. Another plan requires state officials to turn both lanes of I-40 west.

The Highway Patrol's Neal Holmes says they've never used that plan.

"It's a very labor-intensive plan. We hope we never get to the point where we have to use it. But we do have a plan and it's been worked on for several years now and it's kinda fine-tuned now."

Brunswick County Commissioners would decide whether to issue county-wide mandatory evacuations, but cities and towns can also issue evacuation orders.

Read Brunswick County's Hurricane Plan by clicking here.

Do you have insight or expertise on this topic? Please email us, we'd like to hear from you. news@whqr.org.