Hurricane Florence has shifted slightly south and is expected to cause widespread wind damage and flash flooding along most of Northern South Carolina and Southern North Carolina over the next few days.
Due to the increased threat, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School district has just announced that all classes, sports, extracurricular activities, and field trips have been canceled for Thursday (9/13), Friday (9/14), and Saturday (9/15).
Cabarrus County Schools have also announced that they will cancel all classes on Friday but remain on a normal schedule Thursday.
CMS announced the across-the-board closures earlier this afternoon on social media;
In the wake of Hurricane Florence, CMS schools will be closed for students and staff on Thursday, September 13 and Friday, September 14 to protect the safety of students, staff, families and community members. For more information, please visit: https://t.co/RVatEatoEk pic.twitter.com/Ggei26zPmB
— CMS (@CharMeckSchools) September 12, 2018
According to their official announcement;
“All CMS athletic practices, games and events are canceled for Thursday (9/13), Friday (9/14) and Saturday (9/15). Extracurricular activities and field trips scheduled for September 13 or September 14 are canceled. Before school and after-school enrichment programs (ASEP) are canceled.
Make-up days will be designated a later time. These days are designated Code C for CMS employees.”
50 MPH winds and flash flooding around Charlotte will likely knock down trees, cause pockets of power outages, and make some roads impassable.
In case of a power outage, make sure to have the following emergency items stocked in your home;
- Car charger for cell phones and other devices
- Clean drinking water (recommended 1 gallon per person per day, minimum three days)
- Flashlights
- Batteries: Extra batteries for all of your devices
- Weather radio/clock
- Non-perishable food
- First aid kit
All the above items are available via Amazon’s same-day Prime Now service if your local store has already been cleaned out.
To learn more information and to sign-up for emergency alerts, please visit charmeckalerts.org and readync.org.
UPDATE 9/13/2018 8:00am:
Hurricane Florence has just been downgraded to a Category 2 storm, but has also grown in overall size, increasing the reach of its damaging winds. It could still marginally strengthen before making landfall, but it will likely remain a Category 2 or weak Category 3.
