Additional inland shelter opening, final buses leaving Wednesday evening

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem will open to shelter citizens at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Two buses will provide transportation from New Hanover County to this shelter at 6 p.m. This is the final departure from New Hanover County to inland shelters.

One bus will leave from the west entrance of the New Hanover County Government Center, located at 230 Government Center Dr., Wilmington. A second bus will leave from the Johnson Pre-K Center, located at 1100 McRae St., Wilmington.

Residents are encouraged to arrive at either the Government Center or Johnson Pre-K 30 minutes before the buses depart.

Both buses will allow pets and will drop residents off at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum at 2825 University Parkway, Winston-Salem, NC 27105. The Coliseum is not a pet co-location, however, a pet shelter is located next to the Coliseum in The Annex at 414 Deacon Blvd. Pet owners should bring their dog or cat in crates, along with pet food and vaccination records if available.

Johnson Pre-K Center and Trask Middle School in New Hanover County, as well as Garner High School, Southeast Raleigh High School and Knightdale High School shelters in Wake County are at capacity.

For those seeking shelter but cannot leave the area, Codington Elementary School will open as a shelter for New Hanover County residents at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. No cots or blankets are available at this shelter so citizens must bring their own bedding. There will be limited food service available. Codington is not a pet co-location.

Those seeking emergency shelter in or out of county should bring their own bedding, including blankets and pillows, prescription medications and other necessary items. No alcohol, illegal drugs or weapons are permitted.

New Hanover County Emergency Management continues to operate the Emergency Operations Center and Joint Information Center. Anyone with questions about evacuating or shelter openings can call the public information hotline telephone number at (910) 798-6800. The latest information regarding Hurricane Florence can be found on the EmergencyNHC.com website, and on the county’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Residents and visitors are urged to complete their hurricane preparation and evacuation plans, as Hurricane Florence nears.