Pender County Emergency Services keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Ophelia

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Ahead of Ophelia’s arrival, Gov. Roy Cooper signed a state of emergency which will help provide for swift response and recovery after the system passes. 

Pender County is also prepping beforehand. 

We went to Hampstead Friday afternoon to find out how emergency services in the area are getting ready.  

We spoke with Emergency Management Director, Tommy Batson, he’s confident he and his team are prepared to weather the storm. 

“All emergency operations across the county, are up and running on normal operations,” Batson said. “But all our staff, as well as our equipment, have been mobilized and ready to deploy to assist our county, or a neighboring county, or another part of the state if needed.”  

Tropical Storm Ophelia officially formed off the North Carolina coast on Friday afternoon.  

While the Cape Fear won’t receive the brunt of the storm, we’ll continue to see impacts — such as heavy rain and wind throughout the day, giving folks a reminder of Idalia that hit our area just three weeks ago.  

Pender County officials are warning its’ residents to stay dry and safe.  

“Asking everyone to just monitor the local news outlets, the weather service. This is not a large storm but take it serious. There’s still a chance for localized flooding,” Batson said. 

Batson said at this point, all he and his team can do is continue to monitor the storm and be ready to go at all times.  

He is expecting the county to see a couple of inches in rainfall, which may lead to some minor flooded streets, and homes without power.  

Batson urged all to have a plan in place for you, your family, and your pets. 

More than anything, Pender County officials encourage folks to stay informed on how the tropical storm is moving and be prepared for anything to occur.  

You can receive Pender County’s local alerts by texting your zip code to 888777.