On Friday morning, Sept. 30, Guilford County leaders declared a State of Emergency that went into effect at noon on Friday due to the expectation of bad weather and weather-related problems from the remnants of Hurricane Ian.

A press release from the county put out on the morning of September 30, which accompanied the official declaration, stated, “The declaration is precautionary in the event forecasted amounts shift and create greater impacts to the Guilford County area.”

Counties in North Carolina may declare a state of emergency when property damage is expected or when lives could be at stake.

Guilford County officials note that the National Weather Service is calling for high winds and heavy rain that’s expected to grow worse in the afternoon and evening.

The warning states: “The probability for higher wind gusts increases to our south. Guilford County is also anticipated to receive significant rainfall during the storm which could lead to flash flooding in some areas.

The current forecast predicts the most impactful time period for our area to be between 2 p.m. and midnight Friday.” The State of Emergency covers all of the incorporated areas of Guilford County and also includes the cities of Greensboro and High Point as well as the small towns in the county.

County residents are encouraged to do the following:

• Stay alert and sign up to receive emergency notifications from Guilford County through the Guilford Emergency Alert Notification Information system (GEANI) by visiting www.readyGuilford.com.

• Use caution when traveling and have an emergency kit available.

• Prepare for power loss by doing things like fully charging cell phones, flashlights and other key devices. It’s also a good idea to have a battery-operated AM/FM radio that’s in working condition.

•Drivers should never attempt to cross flooded roadways and people should never try to enter flooded structures.

•Limit travel during the state of emergency to leave the roads clear for emergency responders and repair crews.

• Follow Guilford County’s social media sites for updates on any changes to hours or operations as well as all other storm-related updates. On Friday morning, Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston stated the reasoning behind the declaration.

“Given the uncertainty we have already seen with this storm,” he said, “we want to ensure the county is ready for any challenges we may experience. Our number one concern is for the safety of our residents and to ensure our county staff have all the tools necessary to aid our community in the event this storm impacts are greater than currently predicted.”

About