>> WELL GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING OUR BRIEFING TODAY.

NORTH CAROLINA IS NOW FEELING THE EFFECTS OF A WINTER STORM THAT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH THE STATE TODAY.

AS MUCH AS 8 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOW HAS FALLEN IN SOME COUNTIES AND SIGNIFICANT ICING IS CAUSING TROUBLE IN THE CENTRAL PART OF THE STATE.

CONDITIONS VARY ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA AND ARE DANGEROUS IN MANY AREAS.

UTILITY COMPANIES ARE WORKING TO OPEN UP A SHORT SECTION OF I 95 IN ROBESON COUNTY THAT'S BEEN CLOSED BECAUSE OF THE LOW HANGING ICE COVERED POWER LINE.

CURRENTLY TRAFFIC IS MOVING THROUGH A SHORT DETOUR.

THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN A NUMBER OF WRECKS ON OUR ROADS.

AND WE'LL HAVE SOME SPECIFICS ABOUT THAT IN A MINUTE.

FOR TODAY.

THE BEST WAY TO AVOID A CAR ACCIDENT OR GETTING STRANDED, IS TO STAY PUT.

FEWER PEOPLE ON THE ROAD MEANS FEWER CAR CRASHES.

PLUS THAT ALLOWS HIGHWAY CRUEL CREWS AND UTILITY WORKERS TO GET FASTER RESULTS.

IF YOU MUST TRAVEL REDUCE YOUR SPEED INCREASE YOUR FOLLOWING DISTANCE AND BE SURE TO CLEAR ALL THE SNOW AND ICE OFF YOUR VEHICLE BEFORE TRAVELING.

AS PREDICTED ICE AND WIND HAS CAUSED POWER OUTAGES.

MORE THAN 41,000 HOMES AND BUSINESSES WERE REPORTED WITHOUT POWER ACROSS THE STATE AS OF 11:30AM AND THAT NUMBER UNFORTUNATELY IS LIKELY TO GROW.

SOME COUNTIES HAVE OPENED OR ARE PREPARING TO OPEN SHELTERS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE WITHOUT POWER AND HEAT.

YOU CAN FIND A LISTING OF OPEN SHELTERS AT READY NC .GOV.

IF YOUR POWER DOES GO OUT AND YOU'RE TRYING TO STAY WARM AT HOME REMEMBER TO KEEP GENERATORS OUTSIDE AND AWAY FROM OPEN WINDOWS OR DOORS TO PREVENT CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING.

NEVER BURN CHARCOAL OR USE A GAS GRILL INDOORS.

AND REMEMBER ONLY USE 911 FOR A TRUE EMERGENCY.

POWER OUTAGES SHOULD BE REPORTED TO YOUR UTILITY COMPANY.

WE'VE ALL BEEN GETTING READY FOR THIS STORM FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND A NUMBER OF OUR STATE AGENCY LEADERS ARE HERE WITH US TODAY TO BRIEF ON PREPARATION AND RESPONSE.

JOINING ME TODAY ARE TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY ERIC BOYETTE PUBLIC SAFETY SECRETARY AT THE BUFFALO.

COLONEL FREDDY JOHNSON, THE COMMANDER OF THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE HIGHWAY PATROL.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CHIEF STAFF CHIEF OF STAFF, DON CAMPBELL AND MAJOR GENERAL TODD HUNT OF THE NORTH CAROLINA NATIONAL GUARD.

ARCE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS NICOLE FOX.

AND BEHIND THE SCENES JACKIE AND JASMINE METIVIER OUR SPANISH LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS.

FIRST WE'LL HEAR FROM EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CHIEF OF STAFF.

DON CAMPBELL DAWN.

>> THANK YOU GOVERNOR AND GOOD AFTERNOON.

THE STATE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER REMAINS ACTIVATED AND WE'RE MONITORING CONDITIONS ACROSS THE STATE.

THE STATE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM STANDS READY TO ASSIST STATE AND LOCAL PARTNERS AS NEEDS ARISE.

THERE ARE 25 COUNTIES THAT HAVE DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY AND 24 COUNTIES HAVE OPENED THEIR COUNTY EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTERS IN SUPPORT OF THE STORM.

WE ARE RECEIVING A VARIETY OF RESOURCE REQUEST TO SUPPORT OUR LOCAL PARTNERS, MANY ARE FOR HIGH CLEARANCE VEHICLES AND HUMVEES FROM THE NATIONAL GUARD AND REQUESTS FROM CHAINSAW CREWS TO CLEAR DOWNED TREES.

THOSE REQUESTS ARE COMING IN MAINLY FROM THE COUNTIES IN OUR WEST.

SHELTERS AND WARMING CENTERS ARE OPENING TO ASSIST RESIDENTS WHO HAVE LOST POWER.

CURRENTLY THERE ARE 3 SHELTERS OR WARMING CENTERS OPEN IN MORE WARREN AND IREDELL COUNTIES AND A FEW OTHERS ARE ON STANDBY THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

IF YOUR POWER GOES OUT WE REMIND YOU TO REPORT THAT DIRECTLY TO YOUR ELECTRIC UTILITY PROVIDER.

PLEASE DON'T DIAL 911 AND USE THAT ONLY FOR EMERGENCIES.

AND DON'T FORGET TO CALL OUR TO USE READY NC .GOV WEBSITE FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON POWER OUTAGES SHELTERS THAT ARE OPEN AND MORE THAT'S READY AND SEE .GOV.

THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU DON NEXT WE WILL HEAR FROM DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY ERIC BOYETTE.

THANK YOU GOVERNOR TRAVEL IS TREACHEROUS ACROSS MUCH OF OUR STATE.

MANY OF THE ROUTES ARE COVERED WITH SNOW AND ICE IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA.

IF YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE OUT ON THE ROADS TODAY PLEASE STAY PUT THIS WILL ALLOW NC DOT CREWS LAW ENFORCEMENT AND EMERGENCY RESPONDERS TO DO THEIR WORK.

WE HAVE MORE THAN 1600 IN C DOT EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACT RESOURCES ARE OUT WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO CLEAR OUR ROADS ACROSS THE STATE.

WE'RE UTILIZING OVER 1700 TRUCKS AND GRADERS.

WE ALSO READ WITH CHAINSAWS AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT TO CUT AND SHOVE ANY DOWN TREES IN THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA CREWS WORKED OVERNIGHT AND ARE CONTINUING TO PLOW SNOW COVERED ROADS AND CREWS IN ALL CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA AREAS, INCLUDING CHARLOTTE HAVE BEEN SALTING TROUBLE SPOTS AND ROADS AND BRIDGES SINCE EARLY THIS MORNING.

AROUND THE STATE WE HAVE USED MORE THAN 1600 TONS OF SALT AND ALMOST 200 TIMES OF US MIXTURE OF SALT AND SAYING TO THE ICE ON ROADS.

THOSE NUMBERS OBVIOUSLY ARE GOING TO INCREASE THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND TOMORROW.

IN C DOT IS FOCUSED ON PLAYING OUR INTERSTATES THEN OUR PRIMARY AND OR SECONDARY ROUTES IN THAT ORDER.

TRAVEL IS NOT RECOMMENDED ACROSS MUCH OF NORTH CAROLINA AS WE CONTINUE TO DO OUR WORK.

IF TRAVEL IS NECESSARY PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE.

THE STORM IS ALSO IMPACTING EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA WITH HIGH RAIN AND HIGH WINDS.

DUE TO THE HIGH WINDS WE HAVE TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED OUR SOUTHSIDE FERRY ROUTES TO A COAT AND THE ROUTE TO SOUTHPORT WE'VE ALSO SCALE BACK OUR CHERRY BRANCH FERRY ROUTE.

HEAVY RAIN COULD LEAD TO SOME OF THE FLOODING IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

SO PLEASE NEVER DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED ROADS.

UNDERSTAND THAT LIKE ALL INDUSTRIES IN C DOT STAFF AND OUR CONTRACT RESOURCES HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY COVID-19 AND LABOR SHORTAGES.

WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESPOND IN YOUR AREA AS QUICKLY AS WE HAVE IN THE PAST.

BUT PLEASE STAY HOME, STAY SAFE AS OUR CREWS IN CONTRACT RESOURCES ARE GETTING THE ROADS OPEN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

THANK YOU GOVERNOR.

THANK YOU SECRETARY BOY YET NOW WE'LL HEAR FROM COLONEL FRED JOHNSON, THE COMMANDER OF THE NORTH CAROLINA HIGHWAY PATROL COLONEL JOHNSON.

>> THANK YOU GOVERNOR.

I WANT TO START BY SAYING THANK YOU AS WELL TO THE MEMBERS IN PATROL COMMUNICATION CENTERS ACROSS THE STATE AND MEMBERS RESPONDED TO HELP THOSE IN NEED YOUR WORK IS APPRECIATED.

THE STATE HIGHWAY PATROL HAS AS EXPECTED EXPERIENCED AN INCREASE IN CALL VOLUME IN AFFECTED AREAS.

AND WE KNOW THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

TROOPERS HAVE BEEN WORKING THROUGHOUT THE MORNING RESPONDING TO COLLISIONS AND OTHER CALLS FOR SERVICE AND THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF OUR STATE.

AS OF THIS MORNING.

WE HAVE RESPONDED TO 460 CALLS FOR SERVICE AND 200 COLLISIONS IN AFFECTED AREAS AND THOSE NUMBERS CONTINUE TO GROW.

IF YOU MUST GET OUT ONTO THE ROADWAYS PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU INCREASE YOUR FOLLOWING DISTANCE MONITOR YOUR SPEEDY AND BE ALERT FOR DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES IN THE ROADWAY.

EMERGENCY RESPONDERS ARE MAKING EVERY EFFORT TO RESPOND TO CALLS FOR SERVICE AS FAST AS WE CAN WHILE KEEPING THEIR SAFETY IN MIND AS WELL.

IF YOU ENCOUNTER FIRST RESPONDERS IN C DOT CREWS ARE ANY THAT ARE WORKING ALONG OUR ROADWAYS.

PLEASE MOVE OVER AND REDUCE YOUR SPEED IT COULD SAVE A LIFE.

FOR UP TO DATE ROADWAY CONDITIONS PLEASE VISIT DRIVENC.GOV AND PLEASE AVOID CALLING 911 OR STAR HP ELICIT IS AN EMERGENCY.

THANK YOU COLONEL JOHNSON.

PLEASE DON'T TAKE UNNECESSARY CHANCES WITH THIS DANGEROUS WINTER STORM.

STAY PUT.

AND STAY SAFE.

I WANT YOU TO KNOW TOO THAT WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO ARE WORKING HARD RIGHT NOW IN THE COLD OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OUR EMERGENCY RESPONDERS.

>> OUR UTILITY CREWS AND OUR DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.

PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING SO HARD WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THEM AND I WILL BE BACK WITH ANY NECESSARY UPDATES.

THANK YOU.