Lenoir County Transit shuts down, shelters still open
Until Hurricane Florence is over, the Lenoir County Transit system is shut down.
“We will not be operating again until the weather subsides,” Lenoir County Transit Director Angie Greene said. “We have to pull our vehicles off the road — they can not operate in winds higher than 35 miles per hour for the safety of our drivers and the safety of the citizens.”
As the storm gets closer, there is plenty of space for those in need of shelter. Lenoir County DSS Director Jeff Harrison said shelters at North Lenoir, South Lenoir, and Lenoir Community College are available for those in need.
“Our DSS staff and our shelter staff are in place and ready to receive (the citizens),” Harrison said. “We ask that you bring some type of identification so that we can get you properly registered. We follow American Red Cross procedures and policies — we have to know who’s in our shelters at all times and be aware if you leave the shelter we ask you to sign out and indicate your destination.
“The winds are expected to increase in the next couple of hours with rain moving in, so we’re urging if you’re going to the shelters, go ahead and begin moving now. We have plenty of room at all three shelters (and) we have a backup plan if we need to operate a fourth shelter. Do not wait until the last minute to get out in this dangerous weather. It’s still a catastrophic storm and we don’t know what the outcome will be.”
LCC can house up to 700 people, while shelters at North Lenoir and South Lenoir have a capacity of about 400 each. Lenoir County Public Information Officer Bryan Hanks said the fourth shelter will be ready if needed, but for now, it’s on the backburner.
“The fourth shelter will be at Kinston High School, but at this moment they don’t believe it’ll have to be open. Anything can change, but right now they’re not anticipating it.”
