Taking no chances, Cumberland County prepares for Hurricane Dorian

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) — Cumberland County residents are bracing for what could be another round of devastation. It’s a race to gather resources as all of North Carolina is under a state of emergency as Hurricane Dorian approaches.

The I-95 rest stops are packed with drivers fleeing Dorian’s wrath. Business owners in the Sandhills are preparing too.

“Little bit worried for sure. We just went through this process, which was devastating,” said Guns Plus owner Chris Hatley. “It was kind of like a bomb went off inside. When I first walked in all our displays floated. All the guns wound up on the floor.”

Cumberland County residents are taking matters into their own hands. Local grocery stores are selling out of bottled water and one gas station in Stedman along Highway 24 ran out of gas.

Cumberland County partially activated its Emergency Operation Center on Monday afternoon.

“Our communication with the National Weather Service says Wednesday night into Thursday will see tropical storm force gusts and 4 to 6 inches of rain,” said Cumberland County emergency services director Gene Booth. “Go ahead and prepare now. It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.”

Officials warned that Hurricane Dorian could leave Cumberland County residents with widespread outages and road closures.

Methodist University has canceled classes for the week.

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