Hurricane Irma: Fifth Shelter Opens In North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, NC -- North Carolina opened its fifth shelter Sunday afternoon as thousands of Hurricane Irma evacuees packed roads in the Carolinas.

The latest Red Cross shelter opening is located in a City of Greensboro facility at 2305 Soabar Street. NCDOT is alerting motorists to shelter locations throughout the state with fixed and mobile electronic message boards along major highways, it said.

“It looks like North Carolina will be lucky to not have serious impacts from Irma, but we are prepared to assist evacuees from other states who need a safe place to wait out the storm,” said N.C. Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry. “These shelters will provide temporary resources for people and their pets to rest.”

Watch: Hurricane Irma Officially Arrives In Florida

Here is a list of the current emergency shelter locations in North Carolina:

• Gaston County: Gaston County Resource Center, 1303 Dallas Cherryville Hwy., Dallas 28034
• Guilford County: City of Greensboro Shelter, 2305 Soabar St., Greensboro 27406
• Henderson County: East Henderson High School, 110 Upward Road, Hendersonville 28726
• Johnston County: Johnston County Industries, 912 N. Brightleaf Blvd., Smithfield 27577
• Mecklenburg County: (OLD) J.M. Alexander Middle School, 12010 Hambright Road, Huntersville 28078

With minimal impact expected from the storm, North Carolina appears to be a destination for some evacuees, or at least a path north through Interstate 95 after state authorities ordered mandatory evacuations in Florida, as well as coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina.

Hurricane Irma’s forecasted westward march Sunday will spare the Carolinas of much of its tropical storm wrath, bringing less than two inches of rain to the Charlotte area. The Queen City region could see, however, wind gusts up to 36 mph on Tuesday, according to National Weather Service forecasters.

See also:

• Hurricane Irma: Storm’s Worst Likely To Stay West Of The Carolinas
• Hurricane Irma: Evacuees Land in North Carolina
• Where To Find Gas In North Carolina: Hurricane Irma Evacuation
• Hurricane Irma: Gov. Cooper Warns ‘We Can’t Let Our Guard Down’
• Hurricane Irma: Almost 3 Million Predicted To Be Without Power
• Hurricane Irma: How North Carolina Can Prepare

Pictured in this image, traffic backs in the north-bound lanes of Interstate 75 near the Georgia-Florida state line as people flee Hurricane Irma Friday, Sept. 8, 2017, in Jennings, Fla.. (John Bazemore/Associated Press)

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