- Good morning and thank you for joining us.

Depending on where you're tuning in from, precipitation may have already begun in your area.

It's already started here in Raleigh at the Emergency Operations Center.

Snow began in the mountains earlier this morning and will continue moving eastward throughout the afternoon and evening.

Central North Carolina will continue to see a mix of rain, sleet, and snow.

The heaviest snow is expected in northeastern North Carolina throughout tonight.

Depending on where you are in the state, the storm will certainly disrupt your daily life.

Some of you may even have your kids at home with you watching this briefing instead of at school where they normally would be.

And while we cannot stop this storm, we can and will respond to it as best we can.

Yesterday, I declared a state of emergency across North Carolina, which activated our cross-agency state emergency response team.

That team includes the Department of Transportation, the Department of Public Safety, the North Carolina National Guard, the State Highway Patrol, and our state's utilities.

Here's what we've activated so far.

More than 1,500 crew members with the North Carolina Department of Transportation have been pre-treating roads across the state and spreading 3.1 million gallons of brine.

As the storm makes its way across the state, NCDOT is shifting crews to remove snow and ice.

There are over 1,400 DOT and contractor trucks ready to clear roads.

More than 180 National Guardsmen and 39 force packages have been activated and dispersed to support local emergency response efforts.

Our state's power utilities are pre-positioned to quickly restore electricity if it goes out.

Many communities have opened warming stations for those who need refuge from cold temperatures.

And you can get that information if there's one in your county on your county's website.

The State Highway Patrol has spent the past 24 hours clearing our highways of 273 abandoned cars on road shoulders to make them safer for travel and plowing.

Please know that we are using every tool at our disposal to minimize the impact of this storm on you and your family.

In a moment, you will hear from Emergency Management Director Will Ray about the winter storm and our emergency response operations, and from Secretary Joey Hopkins about NCDOT's work to keep our roads as safe as possible.

At this point, our greatest concerns remain power outages and road safety.

Please keep your devices, your phones, charged, have a flashlight on hand.

And as you'll hear from both Director Ray and Secretary Hopkins reiterate, it will be unsafe to travel in many parts of North Carolina.

So please avoid driving unless it's necessary.

This morning, in addition to Director Ray and Secretary of Transportation Hopkins, I'm also joined by Secretary of Public Safety Eddie Buffalo, Chief of Staff to the North Carolina National Guard Colonel Ed Wallace, and Commander of the State Highway Patrol Colonel Freddie Johnson.

Erica Kugler and Jackie Metivier are our Spanish language interpreters, and our American Sign Language interpreters are Karen Magoon and Stephen Holland.

I'll now turn it over to Emergency Management Director Will Ray to provide additional updates.

Thank you, Governor, and good morning.

While we have seen fluctuations in the forecast over the past 24 hours, most of our state will see wintry weather conditions today through tomorrow.

One to two inches of snow accumulation is expected across much of the state, with two to four inches of accumulation expected in our northern counties along the Virginia border.

The highest snow accumulations are forecast across the northeastern counties, where six to eight inches are possible, and up to 10 inches locally.

There will be bitterly cold temperatures across the state tonight, with gusty winds making the windchill values in the teens.

Unfortunately, the threat of ice accumulation has remained, particularly along the U.S. 70 corridor in areas near Goldsboro, Greenville, Williamston, and New Bern.

These areas can see a quarter to half inch of ice accumulation.

As a reminder, ice accumulations of around a quarter inch and greater will cause tree branches to snap and can lead to more power outages.

If your power goes out during this storm, please ensure that generators are operated outside and away from open windows to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

Never burn charcoal indoors or use a gas grill indoors.

Properly vent kerosene heaters and make sure that all heaters have at least three feet of space around them.

Use battery-powered sources of light instead of candles to again reduce fire risk, and make sure that you have plenty of warm blankets and clothing available.

As I stated yesterday, hazardous travel conditions are expected today over the next several days.

We ask that all North Carolinians continue to monitor the weather and stay off the roads if possible.

Unnecessary travel not only puts you at risk, but also the public safety personnel, power crews, and DOT workers that will need to respond if there is an issue.

The State Emergency Response Team remains activated and ready to support our local communities across the state.

Departments of the NC National Guard, with more than 180 guardsmen and vehicles, have been pre-positioned as of this morning across North Carolina to assist local first responders and the Department of Transportation as needed.

Currently, there are 49 local emergency operations centers monitoring are open, and 96 of our school districts are closed or operating on remote learning schedules today.

Local states of emergency or other local preparatory actions may increase over the course of the day and evening in the impacted communities, so please make sure that you are following all directives or instructions from your local public safety agencies.

Thank you to the State Emergency Response Team partners for the tireless work over the last several days preparing North Carolina for the potential impacts.

If you need information on power outages, roadway conditions, or how you and your family can be best prepared, please visit ReadyNC.gov.

Remember, please only dial 911 for emergencies.

Make sure your cell phone is charged and conserve battery power.

You can do this by dimming the brightness of your display and disabling non-essential applications.

To reduce any strain on cell service in your area, especially in areas that experience power outages, try texting to reduce that network congestion.

If you lose power at your home, do not use your vehicle to charge devices inside your garage.

Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless and can be deadly.

I would like to again note that the FEMA disaster recovery centers are closed today in western North Carolina due to the weather, but disaster survivors in western North Carolina can still reach FEMA and access services by calling 1-800-621-3362.

Additionally, as we said yesterday, you can contact the North Carolina Disaster Case Management Program at 1-844-746-2326 or visit ncdps.gov/helene.

The North Carolina Disaster Case Management Program was established to help guide survivors through the recovery process, to assist with making a recovery plan to fit individual survivor needs and to find resources to bridge any gap that a survivor may be experiencing.

Finally, as we move through today and into tomorrow, please remember to check on your friends, family members, neighbors, or those in your community who may need additional support.

We are stronger and more resilient together.

I'll now turn it over to Secretary Hopkins for his update.

Thank you, Director Wray.

Good morning.

Like the Governor said, the winter storm has arrived in parts of our state and we expect it will make travel treacherous across much of North Carolina throughout today, tomorrow, and even into Friday.

By the end of today, we expect many routes to be covered with snow and ice in western, central, and parts of northeastern North Carolina.

So please limit unnecessary travel.

This will allow our crews, law enforcement, utility workers, and other public safety officials to do their work.

After pre-treating hundreds of miles of highways with more than 3.1 million gallons of brine through the end of last night, our crews are now transitioning their focus and their equipment to clear roads as the storm moves across the state today.

Again, as Governor Stein mentioned, we have more than 1,200 crew members already clearing roads or standing by ready to do so when the storm hits their area.

And there are more than 1,400 DOT and contractor trucks available for this storm.

We have more than 133,000 tons of salt on hand ready to treat ice-covered roads.

Our crews will be working around the clock over the coming days and will not stop until roads are cleared.

This does include crews who are or will be out cutting and removing fallen trees and debris as necessary from roads and also working with our utility partners in spots that have involved downed power lines.

Most of the state is forecast to receive some combination of snow, ice, or freezing rain.

While we will do our best to clear roads as quickly as possible during this event, it will take time with an event like this and as cold as it is and will be.

As always, we are prioritizing clearing interstates and then U.S. and N.C. routes followed by secondary roads.

Please watch out for trouble spots that may refreeze due to low temperatures tonight.

This will be especially true in shaded areas as well as on bridges and overpasses.

For drivers, these areas can be very unpredictable and most of the time you aren't aware of them until it's too late.

As conditions improve, please check driveNC.gov for the latest travel information.

We ask that you please stay home if you can and stay safe.

Thank you and I'll turn it back over to Governor Stein.

Thank you Director Wray and Secretary Hopkins for the work that you and your teams are doing to keep North Carolinians safe.

That is our number one priority.

I also want to say a quick thank you to the men and women of the Asheville, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and New Hanover County Fire Departments for answering the call to help our neighbors in Kentucky.

Our Swift Water Rescue teams continue to operate there where, in addition to flooding, communities receive snow overnight.

They've had more than 250 interactions with impacted residents as they've searched structures and provided support to local law enforcement.

As winter weather continues throughout today, we recommend the following actions from each of you.

Pay close attention to your local weather and enable emergency alerts on your cell phones so you can receive updates from local emergency management and the National Weather Service.

Keep cabinet doors open for pipes located under sinks so they don't freeze and let your faucets drip to prevent freezing.

In snowy and icy areas, please just stay off the roads if you can at all help it.

If you have to be on the road, store an emergency kit in your vehicle.

If your power goes out today or overnight, keep these safety tips in mind.

Only operate generators outside, away from open windows and doors, so that you do not get carbon monoxide poisoning.

Never burn charcoal or use gas grill indoors.

To reduce the risk of fire, use battery-powered sources of light, not candles.

Over the next 24 hours, think about who in your life might be most vulnerable to this weather, whether it's a family member, a friend, or a neighbor.

Please check up on them.

Make sure that they're prepared as well.

Taking care of each other, that's what North Carolinians do.

Thank you.

I'll now open the floor to questions to folks here in the room and then folks on the phone.

Any questions?

Good morning, Governor.

Good morning.

With this system kind of being broken up in this form or fashion, is there any change to the strategy in how NCDOT is going to be approaching and treating the roads?

Is there going to be kind of waiting until it all passes through tomorrow, or once there is a break today, will work be done to try and clear roads as quickly as possible?

Secretary Hopkins.

No, great question with the changing weather, but no, it does not change our approach.

I mean, our crews have been out since Sunday night pre-treating roads all across the state, and now depending on where you are geographically and how much precipitation you're getting, they will start pushing snow or the snow and ice and sleet off the roads as it accumulates.

As a follow-up, is there any change in strategy in terms of the staffing or conservation of resources in terms of ensuring that you're able to kind of work over the next several days to clear any roadways throughout the state?

So initially during the beginning of the storm, we'll use our local forces and our contract forces to do as needed, depending on what happens locally, but then we may supplement from other parts of the state, you know, like the day after the storm or the next day after the storm if needed.

Thank you.

Thank you, Secretary Hopkins.

If there's a question over the phone, please press 1 to ask.

- There are no questions.

- Thank you all for being here.