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Durham County hurricane guide

The Durham County Office of Emergency Services serves as the emergency management agency for both the county and the City of Durham. Durham is inland and has no storm surge evacuation zones, so heavy rain, flooding, and high winds are the main dangers when a hurricane or tropical storm passes through. Sign up for Alert Durham to get warnings for your address, and register ahead of time if you will need help to evacuate.

Checked on October 2, 2026

Every phone number and web address on this page was checked against official sources on that date. Details can change, especially during a storm. Always follow instructions from Durham City-County Emergency Management. In a life threatening emergency, call 911.

Emergency and information numbers

Service Number Notes
Emergency 911 Police, fire, and ambulance. Call only when someone's life or property is in danger.
Emergency management office 919-560-7580 Office line. Not for emergencies.
Citizen information center (during emergencies) 919-560-4357 Durham City-County Joint Information Center. Also written 919-560-HELP.
Durham 911 Center non-emergency 919-560-4600 For police, fire, and other matters that are not emergencies, anywhere in Durham County.
Animal services 919-560-0630 Durham County Sheriff's Office Animal Services, 3005 Glenn Road. Information line, weekdays.
Road and traffic conditions (511) 511 Road closures and travel conditions. Live operators during the day. Overnight and during emergencies, check DriveNC.gov.

Official alerts and information

  • Alert Durham: Free alerts by text, email, or phone. Sign up before a storm. Alerts go to the addresses you register, and you can add more than one. Website.

Evacuation centers

Open only when announced

Evacuation centers open only when officials announce them, and not every center opens for every storm. Check the official list of open centers before you leave home. Bring your own bedding, food, water, and medicines.

Durham County does not publish a standing list of hurricane shelters. If an evacuation is ordered, the county says shelter will be available for people with access and functional needs, and transportation is provided for people who cannot arrange their own. North Carolina Emergency Management lists open shelters on ReadyNC.

Official list of open evacuation centers

Help to evacuate

  • Access and Functional Needs Program: Voluntary registration with Durham City-County Emergency Management for people who will need help during an evacuation, for example because of no transportation, limited English, a health condition, a disability, or electric medical equipment. Register through Alert Durham before a storm. Transportation to a shelter is provided for people who cannot arrange their own. Website.
  • Durham County Sheriff's Office Animal Services: County animal services. Routine calls are handled weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: 919-560-0630. Website.

Radio, TV and weather

Keep a battery or hand crank radio. When power and cell service fail, radio is often the only way to hear official updates.

Radio stations

Station Frequency Language Notes
WQDR-FM 94.7 FM English Emergency Alert System primary station (State Primary (SP-1), LP1, PEP)
WDCG 105.1 FM English Emergency Alert System primary station (State Primary 2 (SP-2), LP2)
WRAL 101.5 FM English Emergency Alert System primary station (SR)

Emergency Alert System roles come from the North Carolina state EAS plan of October 2019, the newest one published.

NOAA Weather Radio

A weather radio turns itself on for warnings, even in the middle of the night. Set it to this frequency.

Station Frequency Transmitter
WNG706 162.450 MHz Garner
WXL58 162.550 MHz Chapel Hill

TV stations

Station Channel Network Language
WRAL-TV (WRAL) 5 NBC English
WTVD (ABC11) 11 ABC English
WNCN (CBS 17) 17 CBS English
WRAZ (FOX 50) 50 Fox English
WUNC-TV (PBS North Carolina) 4 PBS English
WUNP-TV (PBS North Carolina) 36 PBS English
WUVC-DT (N+ Univision 40) 40 Univision Spanish
WRTD-CD (Telemundo Raleigh) 54 Telemundo Spanish

Official forecasts

  • National Weather Service Raleigh: Local forecasts, watches, and warnings. Phone: 919-326-1042. Website.
  • National Hurricane Center: Official hurricane forecasts, watches, and warnings. Website.

Power, water and debris

  • Duke Energy Carolinas: Report an outage online or by phone. Assume every downed line is live and stay far away. Phone: 800-769-3766. Website.
  • Duke Energy Progress: Report an outage online or by phone. Assume every downed line is live and stay far away. Phone: 800-419-6356. Website.
  • Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation: Report an outage online or by phone. Assume every downed line is live and stay far away. Phone: 800-222-3107. Website.
  • Wake Electric Membership Corporation: Report an outage online or by phone. Assume every downed line is live and stay far away. Phone: 855-280-1147. Website.

After the storm: help for displaced residents

If your home is damaged or you cannot go back, these organizations help with shelter, food, money, and paperwork. Many programs open only after a disaster declaration, so check their pages for current status.

Where to start

  • NC 211: The 211 helpline for all 100 North Carolina counties, run by United Way of North Carolina. Free and confidential, in most languages. Dial 211 at any hour. From outside North Carolina, call 888-892-1162. Phone: 211. Website.

Housing and shelter

  • FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers: After a federal declaration, these centers help you apply for aid in person. Use the locator to find the nearest one. Phone: 1-800-621-3362. Website.

Food

  • Inter-Faith Food Shuttle: Free food at mobile markets and pantries in Wake, Durham, Johnston, Orange, Chatham, Nash, and Edgecombe counties. Call for help finding food near you. Phone: 919-250-0043. Website.
  • Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina: Regional food bank for 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina. Find a pantry or mobile market by ZIP code on its site. Raleigh headquarters. The food bank has six branches. Phone: 919-875-0707. Website.

Money, work and insurance

  • DisasterAssistance.gov: Apply for FEMA aid after a federal declaration. Phone: 1-800-621-3362. Website.
  • SBA disaster loans: Low interest loans for homeowners, renters, and businesses after a declared disaster. Phone: 800-659-2955. Website.
  • Legal Aid of North Carolina: Free civil legal help for low-income residents of all 100 counties, including problems after a disaster with housing, insurance, benefits, and contractors. Also written 1-866-219-LANC. Apply by phone, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday to Friday, or apply online. Phone: 1-866-219-5262. Website.

Emotional support

  • Alliance Health: The public LME/MCO that manages mental health, substance use, and developmental disability services in 7 counties. Call the crisis line if you are in emotional distress. Behavioral Health Crisis Line, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Member and Recipient Services: 800-510-9132, Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. For a crisis at any hour, you can also call or text 988. Phone: 877-223-4617. Website.
  • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text, any time. Phone: 988.

Relief organizations

  • American Red Cross Greater Triangle Area Chapter: The Red Cross chapter for 10 counties in the Triangle area. It runs shelters and gives emergency help after disasters and home fires. Chapter office in Raleigh. For disaster help at any hour, call 1-800-733-2767. Phone: 919-231-1602. Website.

Cities and towns

Each city has its own services and some have their own alerts. The county's evacuation zones, evacuation centers, and emergency alerts cover everyone, in every city and in unincorporated areas.

Sources

Checked on October 2, 2026. If a number or address here is wrong, please tell us at Keith@KMyers.me.