Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall in Florida this morning, is moving northeast towards the coastal Carolinas. Local government offices and schools are preparing for the storm by closing. Here's what you need to know.
Watches and warnings
The National Weather Service stated at noon on Wednesday that Idalia is set to hit the Cape Fear region early Thursday morning. It'll likely move offshore by the end of the day.
As of 12 p.m. Wednesday, the tropical storm warning has been expanded to include all counties in southeastern North Carolina, from New Hanover up to Scotland and Hoke. All southeastern counties are on flood watch through Thursday, with the coastal counties — New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender — on coastal flood warning. Meteorologists have also noted an elevated risk of tornadoes for Wednesday afternoon and evening.
The National Weather Service stated on Wednesday that there is a chance that as Idalia passes over the South Carolina coast, it could remain a hurricane or downgrade into a strong tropical storm.
School closures
New Hanover County Schools announced late Wednesday morning that it would be transitioning to remote instruction on Thursday. All afterschool activities on Wednesday and Thursday will be canceled with the exception of Wednesday afterschool care.
Pender County Schools announced on Tuesday that all afterschool activities on Wednesday and Thursday would be canceled. The county will move to remote instruction on Thursday, with a possibility of returning to in-person instruction on Friday.
Brunswick County Schools also canceled all afterschool activities for Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday will be an early release day, with the county closing all schools on Thursday. There's no word yet on whether classes will resume on Friday, but county officials stated that they'd communicate that decision by 6 p.m. on Thursday.
Columbus County Schools canceled all afterschool games, but noted that some practices may be allowed to go as usual on Wednesday. Thursday's instruction will be remote, with a possible return to in-person instruction on Friday.
Whiteville City Schools also canceled afterschool games, but stated that practices were allowed so long as they wrap up by 6 p.m. this evening. Schools will be closed on Thursday.
On Wednesday afternoon, UNCW announced that all in-person classes would be canceled or moved to online for Thursday, Aug. 31. The university will remain open, but with some non-mandatory operations reduced or closed. CFCC announced on Wednesday morning that all campus operations would close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday and remain closed through Thursday.
Brunswick Community College will be closing at 1 p.m. Wednesday and remain closed through Thursday.
Roads and transportation
Wave Transit will delay the start of fixed route and RideMICRO services until 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, in response to expected impacts from Hurricane Idalia.
Paratransit customers will be contacted individually regarding scheduled trips. All services will resume their normal schedule on Friday, September 1.
You can find more updates here: wavetransit.com.
Government closures
As of Wednesday morning, there are no closures to report at county offices in New Hanover, Pender, Brunswick, or Columbus. New Hanover County Emergency Management will issue an update on emergency preparedness at 3 p.m. today.
Brunswick County announced Wednesday morning that Thursday trash and recycling pickup would be rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 2.
In New Hanover County, Carolina Beach announced that all government buildings would close on Thursday. The local rec center and town hall will close at 5 p.m. Wednesday for inclement weather. Kure Beach Town Hall will be closing at 1 p.m. on Wednesday for inclement weather.
In Brunswick County, Southport announced that it would be closing all city parks at noon on Wednesday. All city meetings and events for Wednesday and Thursday have been canceled.
The City of Wilmington announced yesterday that residents with Thursday trash pickup will instead be serviced on Wednesday. Carolina Beach trash pickup is canceled for the week.
Alerts
- Pender County — get more info here.
- New Hanover County — sign up using this form here (requires a phone number)
- Brunswick County — sign up here (or text “Brunswick” to 888777 to receive notifications only based on your zip code)
- Statewide alerts — ReadyNC has evacuation routes, road conditions, outages, and more, here.