Northgate Mall in Durham open as shelter during Hurricane Dorian

By Sarah Krueger, WRAL reporter

Northgate Mall in Durham is currently open as a shelter as the effects of Hurricane Dorian near the Triangle area.

The shelter can hold about 500 people, although there are currently only 26 evacuees in the shelter, from as far as Wilmington and South Carolina.

Governor Roy Cooper urges people in need of shelter to take advantage of locations like this one.

“We’re telling people to get to safety,” Cooper said. “Hunker down, be safe and don’t take any chances.”

Apart from being the shelter in the state with the highest capacity, it’s also unique due to the fact that it is pet-friendly.

There are trailers set up outside capable of housing animals.

One evacuee who lives in Durham, a student at North Carolina Central University, brought her service dog in training to the shelter out of an abundance of caution.

“Because I don’t have a car, in case the storm does anything unexpected, I want to already be in a safe place,” she said.

Staff at the shelter says it will be open as long as it needs to be.