Columbus County, NC – All shelters are open and operational. Red Cross personal are stationed at each shelter. The shelter located at Edgewood Elementary School is at capacity. This was the only designated pet friendly shelter. At this time, the resources are not available to designate another shelter as pet friendly. South Columbus High School has the next largest number of occupants but still has some space available. Guideway is the only shelter left with cots. Columbus County has ordered more cots but at this time, we do not have an estimated time of arrival for the cots. Please bring an air mattress, sleeping bag, etc… with you to the shelter along with your personal hygiene items, clothing, and comfort items for children. If you have special medical needs and wish to evacuate to a shelter, you must have someone accompany you to the shelter to assist you with your medical needs and you must have your own medical supplies. We are only capable of handling basic medical needs. The shelters are meeting the basic needs of the occupants. We recommend you bring non-perishable food items and water for your family’s additional needs.
Two public access numbers have been established for Emergency Services. If you have questions concerning shelters or other public concerns, please contact the following numbers:
(910) 642-8193
(910) 642-7684
Do not call 911 unless you have a true emergency. Please utilize the above numbers for non-emergency needs, questions, or concerns.
Columbus Regional Healthcare System is fully operational. Entrance to the hospital will only be allowed from the Emergency Department entrance. They are asking that you have no more than one visitor per patient.
Hurricane Florence is now a Category 2 storm. This is still a serious storm. Columbus County is predicted to receive substantial rainfall amounts and heavy winds. Your hurricane preparations should be completed. Now is the time to shelter in place or evacuate to a shelter or another location. Do not wait until the heavy rainfall and strong winds begin.
Additional updates will be made as they are available.
