Orange County hurricane guide¶

Orange County Emergency Services, through its Emergency Management Division, plans for disasters, sends OC Alerts, and coordinates emergency shelters for the county, including Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough. The county is inland and has no storm surge zones, but tropical storms can bring sudden, heavy flooding, high winds, fallen trees, and power outages. Sign up for OC Alerts, and when you get a GO alert, leave right away.

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 Orange County Emergency Services. In a life threatening emergency, call 911.

What to know in Orange County¶

The county, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough use Ready, Set, Go notices. GET READY comes through social media and the news: review your plan and gather supplies. GET SET comes through OC Alerts: pack and be ready to leave. GO comes as a Wireless Emergency Alert on your phone: evacuate immediately.
On July 6, 2025, Tropical Storm Chantal dropped more than 10 inches of rain on parts of the county in a few hours, causing widespread flooding and road closures.
After a storm, report damage that is not an emergency to the county through CrisisTrack. For trees or debris blocking a road, or for flooding, get to a safe place and 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	919-245-6100	Orange County Emergency Services. Office line. Not for emergencies. Call this number if you must have a ride to a shelter.
24 hour non-emergency line	919-732-5063	Rings in the 911 center. For police matters that are not emergencies.
County information line	919-732-8181	Office line. Not for emergencies.
Sheriff's Office	919-245-2900	Office line. Not for emergencies.
Special needs registration	919-245-2884	Register before a storm if you will need help to evacuate or a special needs shelter.
Animal services	919-942-7387	Animal Control, option 1, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. After hours, call 911 for animal emergencies. Also written 919-942-PETS.
Road and traffic conditions (511)	511	Road closures and travel conditions. Operators answer during the day. From outside North Carolina, call 877-511-4662. Overnight and during emergencies, check DriveNC.gov.

Official alerts and information¶

OC Alerts: Free alerts by text, email, or phone. Sign up before a storm. If you use Town of Hillsborough water or sewer, check the box for your provider under Community Alerts to get water and sewer alerts too. Website.
Ready Orange: The county's official hurricane information page. 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.

Orange County opens emergency shelters when the need arises, working with Social Services, the Health Department, Animal Services, and the American Red Cross. The two primary shelters are below, but locations can change depending on the emergency, and they open only when announced through OC Alerts and local news. Shelters have food and water but not your medicines or personal needs: bring photo ID, your regular medicines, insurance information, bedding, towels, and comfortable clothes. Weapons, illegal drugs, candles, and valuables are not allowed, and smoking is not allowed inside. If your home floods easily or is a mobile home, plan where you will go before a storm.

Official list of open evacuation centers

These are locations the county has used or designated as evacuation centers. They are listed for planning only.

Name	Address	Serves
Orange Middle School	308 Orange High School Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278	General
Smith Middle School	9201 Seawell School Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516	General

Help to evacuate¶

Special assistance registration: If you will need special assistance in a disaster, call to register before a disaster strikes. Phone: 919-245-2884. Website.
Emergency transportation: If you must have transportation to a shelter, the county may be able to provide it. Call Orange County Emergency Services. Phone: 919-245-6100. Website.
Pets at emergency shelters: Orange County Animal Services shelters animals at the county's emergency shelters, and staff are on hand to board pets. Service animals stay with their owners inside the shelter. Owners of large animals and livestock need their own plans, since very limited help is available. Phone: 919-942-7387. 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
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.

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 help¶

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.