Most local schools are either planning to close early or altogether tomorrow.
Classes at Cape Fear Community College will be cancelled after 3 PM Friday.
All classes and activities are cancelled tomorrow at UNCW. Employees should report to work as usual.
Columbus County Schools will let out tomorrow at 12 PM, as will Whiteville city schools.
Brunswick County public schools are closed all together, as are schools in New Hanover County, Pender County, and Onslow County - including schools at Camp Lejeune.
Many private schools are also planning closings or early dismissals.
Visit our Closings and Cancellations page for a complete list of closings, delays and early releases.
Quick Judgers
I agree with the last comment. The same people complaining about schools being closed, are the same people that would complain if they were open. Those of you complaining about the cancellation of classes must have quickly forgotten about Floyd. Due to the last minute decision to close school, especially UNCW, there were many students left to evacuate during torrential downpours and dangerous conditions. The uproar from parents was overwhelming. The professionals predicting the weather are doing just that, predicting. There is no way to know exactly what path any tropical system will choose to take. Nor do they know how quickly they will move or strengthen. Those of you complaining should ask yourselves "What if Hanna had strengthened, quickened, and my children were on their way home from school when their school bus overturned in high winds?" It is better to be safe than sorry! So get over it, you should know by now that cancellations will happen and those people with more information and experience than you are making the decisions that could protect your life and property. Be thankful someone is...
good idea
As a teacher in Pender County, I was quite glad to see our new administrations thinking about the children first. What if we had school on Friday and needed to get children home immediately at 11:00 am? Would you, as mother and father, have been home to get our precious students from the bus stop? And what if the rain had come and flooded so many of our back roads that our students could not even get to their homes? Sure, this wasn't as bad of a storm as it could have been. Did emergency personnel cry wolf? I think not. They are the same emergency people who will be putting their lives on the line to save those ignorant enough to think that a storm is so easily predicted. We hope our students and their families were safe. Thank you, BOE, for your kindness and a world of thanks to our emergency staffs for being ready. Many of us feel better knowing we are prepared!
Ignorance
The last comment touched on it briefly. Schools are closed because they are used as shelters. We have to have time to get the shelters ready and we have to be their early enough so that people can come in before the storm gets bad. You obviously can't choose to only close certain schools so they all close. Maybe if people wouldn't be so quick to judge and complain they would see that is usually a reason for everything.
You aren't from around here are you?
Well I think it was worth it. If you listen to the weather channel they really couldn't pin point a time. And if you notice some of the schools are shelters. and as far as Sunset Beach there is one way off and one way on. They said traffic was a mile long that takes time. why be caught in the rush, I would wether be pre-pair than not. what are you out of a extra case of water and tank of gas it will keep. and the down pours of rain you said you seen . I am sure bus drivers were glad they didn't have to be in it with a bus load of children... Think before speaking might be a good idea next time. Thanks to the men and women with Fire, EMS, Police that worked out in the wind and rain.. To keep us protected and safe.
Brunswick County too.
They did the same thing here in Brunswick county, stores closed at 2:30, schools and just about everything else closed all day. For What??!! A storm that is coming in tomorrow morning? I don't think any of the schools had field trips to the beach scheduled for today...what a waste of a total day for nothing. Maybe an early release would have been in order but even that seems silly. We live on Oak Island and all day long all we have seen is some clouds and one heavy rain shower. We even went down to the beach to see if we were missing something and it is a bit windy and some cool surf but nothing to cause all this ruckus all day long! They wonder why people get killed in these things it is because of all the times they cry wolf and people waste their money and time preparing and stocking up etc...etc...then when it is needed they figure it is just another waste of time. At least keep the "emergency" for a real need. Geezzz what a waste.........
some people needed to secure
some people needed to secure their homes. i think it is great that business owners recognize that their employees needed to make preparations, just in case, and allowed them to go home early. they could have remained opened in the interest of profit, and risked employees homes and possibly their lives, but many of them are not heartless, and i commend them. these storms are very unpredictable until the last moment, a shift in winds could be a blessing or a disaster. i think you're opinion is quite asinine guestb.
Guest4567897655654342, this
Guest4567897655654342, this storm wasn't a surprise. We've known it was coming, and people had all week to secure their homes, or worst case, could have done it last night like I did.
Safety
I believe in safety first and I also believe in not being naive when it comes to tropical systems that are taking aim at us. HOWEVER, I must express my disappointment and surprise that New Hanover County decided to cancel classes ALL DAY. I can understand an early dismissal at noon like many of our neighboring counties but a full day of NO school! While the children may have loved it, it left many of us parents in a lurch regarding childcare! It never crossed my mind that they would cancel classes all day! What in the world possessed them to do that?? Even teachers were questioning the decision!!!! Bad call NHC School Board! You cancel classes when we don't need it but continue to have classes when there truly needs to be cancellation. Get it together!
Lurch
So what you are in effect saying is that the school system is your daycare.
No
No. What I am saying is that there are some parents who don't have a back up plan when it comes to childcare. But my biggest complaint was not about the childcare issue. It was that school was cancelled at all! There should have been a half day of school at least. And for those who question my experience in this area - I have lived in Wilmington ALL MY LIFE!!! I have weathered more storms in this area than most of you probably have. I was here for Floyd, Fran, Bertha, Diana, etc. I know and understand what these storms can do and bring with them. I just dont agree with dismissing a whole day of school. Especially when it has been the policy of the school board to wait until the last minute to dismiss in more dangerous conditions. Not to mention, I dont recall anyone dismissing school during any Nor-easter's that have come through during the winter. The weather yesterday was nothing that warranted a whole day of school being cancelled and there is nothing you can say to change my mind on it.
I believe safety is priority. But what will the board do when there is an ice storm or a stronger storm comes through?? They will hesitate because they already cancelled one day of school and don't want to cancel another because they have already used one day of school.
And yes, school is a form of daycare. It is a place for children to be cared for while getting an education. Parents (even if they dont want to admit it) do use school as a form of free daycare. If it wasn't that way then many parents wouldn't have been so upset about the age of eligibility for kindergarten being changed. Like it, dont like it. That is up to you. Thankfully I live in America where I can have my opinion and you can have yours.
God Bless!
How Naive can "Safety" and "Brunswick County too" be???
I must defend NHCS, and all other area public schools for that matter, in that you have NO IDEA what it takes the school staff to clean, secure and staff a shelter for your ungrateful self to go to in the event that you might ever actually need one. It all takes TIME. They could not have run a full schedule of classes yesterday and managed to prepare the shelters in a couple of hours time for folks to turn to. The Board of Education has to make their decisions based on the timelines it will take their staff to prepare for you. The prep time has to come from somewhere. They can't magically wave a wand and "poof" the school/shelter is ready for you. I can't imagine what you people are griping over! If they DIDN'T close the schools you would have complained that they weren't doing enough to protect the safety of your children. If they DIDN'T close the schools yesterday and the storm had been of more substance, you would have complained that you didn't have any safe place to go, because they would not have had the time to prepare for your ungrateful self. You would have blamed New Hanover County, Brunswick County, and our surrounding counties governments, for not providing you a safe haven. And, as far as complaining about not having standby child care for your little darlings when you have to work, isn't that what part of what a HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS PLAN is all about??? You as a parent are supposed to always have a backup plan for the care of your children. The ignorance of your complaints astound me. You people need to wake up and start thinking beyond yourselves. It's NOT "all about you"!!
What About New Hanover County ??
Any word on New Hanover County Employees, Courthouse, Register of Deeds Office, Permitting or Tax Dept?