State of emergency: Declaration isn't a call to panic -- but the time to prepare is now

There should be no delaying in preparing for Hurricane Irma.

We saw less than a year ago what a relatively weak storm is capable of if moving slowly enough to drop a significant amount of rain fall.

Matthew led to record flooding in the area and other parts of the state, but Irma is a different animal altogether.

It is important to note that we received more than 5 inches of rainfall last month and have been enduring showers and thunderstorms sporadically over the last several days.

In addition to vast quantities of rain, the storm as of this writing remains a category 5 hurricane and continues to pack sustained winds of more than 185 mph, with gusts above 220 mph.

It is the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, and that means it is stronger than Floyd (1999), Katrina (2005), Andrew (1992) or Camille (1969).

Each brought their own level of destruction. Irma dwarfs them all.

Now is not the time to panic, rather it is the time to plan.

Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency effective 8 a.m. today, several days ahead of any anticipated affects from Irma, specifically for that reason.

Just how much of the storm we will feel here or when depends on what the storm does over the next few days. But with each passing day, the ability to prepare, to stock up on supplies or to ready an evacuation plan diminish greatly.

Cooper referred residents to readyNC.org for information on how to prepare, and we will be reporting in the paper and on our website at www.newsargus.com on what the state, county and city are doing to respond to the storm as it approaches.

Stay tuned, stay informed, and start preparing now.

Published in Editorials on September 6, 2017 9:09 PM