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Franklin County hurricane guide

The Franklin County Office of Emergency Management in Louisburg leads countywide planning and response for natural and man-made hazards, and its director also oversees the Fire Marshal. The county is inland and has no storm surge evacuation zones, so flooding, high winds, and power outages are the main dangers when a hurricane or tropical storm passes through. Sign up for Franklin County Emergency Alerts by phone, text, or online before a storm.

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 Franklin County Office of 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 919-340-4605 Office line. Not for emergencies.
Sheriff's Office non-emergency 919-496-2186 Sheriff's Office main line. For police matters that are not emergencies.
Animal services 919-496-3032 Franklin County Animal Services, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For an animal emergency after hours, call 911.
Water and sewer emergencies 919-496-6565 Franklin County Public Utilities emergency line for nights, weekends, and holidays only. On weekdays, call 919-556-6177.
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

  • Franklin County Emergency Alerts (Hyper-Reach): Community and weather alerts from the county. Sign up before a storm, online in English or Spanish, by calling 919-729-5277, or by texting ALERT to 919-729-5277. Alerts usually show the caller ID 984-320-0001 FRANKLIN ALERTS. Website.
  • Franklin County Emergency Management: The county emergency management page, with severe weather, preparedness, and closing information. 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.

Franklin County does not publish a list of hurricane shelters. If shelters open during a storm, watch for Franklin County Emergency Alerts and check the ReadyNC open shelters page, where North Carolina Emergency Management lists open shelters. People facing a housing crisis can get help from the county Department of Social Services.

Official list of open evacuation centers

Help to evacuate

  • Franklin County Animal Services: County animal services and shelter at 351 T Kemp Road, Louisburg. Officers are on call after hours for emergencies only, through 911. Phone: 919-496-3032. 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
WNG586 162.500 MHz Henderson
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 Progress: Report an outage online or by phone. Assume every downed line is live and stay far away. Phone: 800-419-6356. 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.
  • Louisburg Power (Town of Louisburg): Report an outage online or by phone. Assume every downed line is live and stay far away. Phone: 919-496-3406. Website.
  • Franklin County Public Utilities: Weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For emergencies on nights, weekends, and holidays, call 919-496-6565. Phone: 919-556-6177. Website.
  • Franklin County Solid Waste: County transfer station and 12 convenience centers for Franklin County residents. Phone: 919-496-5002. 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.
  • Franklin County Department of Social Services: Help with immediate needs for people facing a housing crisis. After hours, reach the on-call social worker through Emergency Communications at 919-496-2511. Phone: 919-496-5721. Website.

Food

  • 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

  • Vaya Health: The public LME/MCO that manages mental health, substance use, and developmental disability services in 32 western and central counties. Behavioral Health Crisis Line, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Member and Recipient Service Line: 1-800-962-9003, Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. For a crisis at any hour, you can also call or text 988. Phone: 1-800-849-6127. 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.