In preparation for Hurricane Florence, the Town of Chapel Hill is prepared to stay in contact with the community on driving and road conditions.
Ran Northam, community safety communications specialist for the Town, said the Town is currently monitoring the storm before releasing official statements, but they are ready to issue important information to the town as they receive it.
“Our main focus so far has been on preparations, what people should be doing ahead of the storm," he said. "And as we get closer, our attention will focus more on what people should be doing during the storm, or even more so than that, what people should not be doing during the storm."
Driving through a storm can put many people beyond the driver in danger, including the first responders, Northam said. The state has created a catch-all response for people to keep in mind during the storm: turn around, don't drown.
"I think the biggest thing that people should remember is to not travel through water — whether that's driving or walking, biking, rolling, whatever their mode of transportation is — that if there is water in the roadway, they should not drive through it,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how low it is, it could be dangerous.”
Northam indicated Chapel Hill has dealt with high waters and flooding before. The Town's number one priority is to communicate clear, important messages to the community, he said.
“We want to make sure that people have the proper information, that they stay connected with their local social media and get that up-to-date information, so they know when it is appropriate to stay put and when they can return out to the community,” he said.
Northam said Chapel Hill Transit is also watching the storms. The bus system will stop running starting Thursday.
“If the storm moves into the area sooner, then Chapel Hill Transit will continue to monitor and will adjust its schedule as it needs to,” Northam said.
