>> Good morning, everyone.

Thank you for joining us.

We are expecting winter weather to return to North Carolina this weekend.

It will impact the majority of the state.

In some parts of North Carolina.

Kids might experience their first real snow.

And I can remember when my kids would look forward to the snow days.

They watch TV.

Wait to see Wake County schools role at the Bottoms wrote about on the screen and then we would go sledding over at Dorothea Dix Park.

And I hope that some parents were watching this can make special memories of their own with their kids.

But winter storms are not just fun and games for much of the state.

Folks will see ice instead of snow and whether you find yourself facing ice or snow, we've all got to be prepared for whatever impacts may come.

Yesterday I declared a state of emergency across North Carolina to get ready for the storm.

We've activated the state emergency response team, which is a cross agency group that includes the Department of Transportation, the Department of Public Safety, the North Carolina National Guard, the state Highway Patrol and our state's utilities soon.

You're going to hear from North Carolina emergency management director will re about the winter storm in our emergency response operations and then from Secretary Dan Johnson about NC DOT is work, keep our roads as safe as possible.

As director wet Ray will outline this winter storm will likely impact the majority of the state.

At this time.

Our greatest concerns are potential power outages and road safety over the coming days.

Ice accumulation may lead to power outages and we recommend everyone to keep their devices charged, have a flashlight and battery operated radio on hand.

Think about what you may need to stay warm and fed.

If you lose power.

Precipitation and freezing temperatures may also make a mess of our roads.

Even with the 300,000 gallons of brine that NC DOT has already put down.

Thawing and refreezing leads to black ice.

So everyone needs to be careful on the roads for not only during the storm, but for a few days after the storm hits, please avoid driving unless it is necessary to travel.

This will keep you safe and the roads clear for first responders and anyone else who must be on the road.

Some communities may open warming stations for those who need a safe refuge from the cold temperatures you can find information on resources in your community by visiting your local government and Emergency Management Agency's website and social media accounts.

This morning in addition to Director Wray and secretary of Transportation Johnson, I'm also joined by Secretary of Public Safety Jeff Smyth, Major General Todd Hunt of the North Carolina National Guard and the commander of the state Highway Patrol.

Colonel Freddy Johnson.

Jack in the TV air and Mary Lee Bihari Spanish language interpreters and our American sign language interpreters or Steven Holland.

And Abby Quick.

As we stand here now, emergency management officials, Department of Transportation crews, State Highway Patrol troopers and the National Guard are hard at work preparing for the winter weather brining the roads, preposition resources, clearing abandon cars from the shoulders of our highways and working closely with local governments across the state to coordinate assistance quickly, high clearance vehicles are ready to support stranded drivers.

The Forest Service is ready to removed downed trees from roads, aviation assets, planes, helicopters are ready if needed.

During winter weather.

Just like in any severe weather situation in our state.

Our number one priority is to keep people safe.

So we recommend that you take the following actions to navigate this winter weather event.

First of all, stay informed.

Make sure you're following your local media.

The National Weather Service and your local emergency management agency.

Second, get prepared.

Think about what you would need during and after a major storm.

Things like enough water, non-perishable, food medication and supplies for 3 to 5 days for each person and pet in your household.

Also, flashlight, fresh batteries.

A way to keep your phone charged, blankets and winter clothing visit ready, NC .gov.

For more detailed information about how you Kim best prepare.

Next.

Make a plan.

How we use safely heat your home.

If the power goes out, how you cook safely.

If the power's out and what will you eat if cooking is not an option?

Where will you go?

If you cannot stay at home?

Finally, let me repeat this.

Starting Saturday.

Please do everything you can to stay off the roads unless you're a first responder or essential personnel, please don't drive unless you have to drive.

Fortunately, we have 2 days to make sure that we have everything we need to ride out the storm.

Don't wait until it's too late.

And if you're getting as you're getting ready, don't forget to check on your loved ones and neighbors and anyone who might be especially vulnerable, including the elderly.

None of us can control what this storm will ultimately look like.

But each of us can get prepared, be ready to stay home for a few days, potentially without power and know that we're taking this storm seriously.

And we will do everything we can to keep you safe.

Thank you all.

Now invite forward and turn it over to director thank you, governor.

And good morning, everyone.

I want to begin this morning with the forecast as we have it currently and then provide an overview of our operational posture.

As the governor said, while there are still 2 days before this winter storm impacts North Carolina, confidence in the forecast continues to increase that this will be a significant event covering most of the state.

>> Winter storm watches have been issued for most of the state with impacts from this storm expected to last into early next week.

The most impactful precipitation remains over the weekend where a wintry mix is forecast across much of the state.

Light precipitation is forecast to begin early on Saturday spreading from west to east.

The primary precipitation types include some snow, sleet and accumulating freezing rain with the best chances of any accumulating snow being in our northern counties.

Our partners at the Weather Prediction Center have placed a probability of 60 to 90% for much of the state to experience moderate impacts.

These impacts include hazardous driving conditions, especially on bridges and overpasses, damage to tree limbs from ice accumulation and power outages that have the potential to be long lasting.

Portions of the state may experience major impacts, especially in the south Western North Carolina, which can include considerable disruptions to daily life with dangerous and often impassable driving conditions as well as widespread power outages and damage to trees.

As a reminder, ice accumulations of around a half inch of ice or more can cause an increase in down trees or impact power lines and lead to an increase in power outages as well as to hazardous travel conditions.

Bitterly cold temperatures will move into much of the state Saturday and will last into Tuesday at this time.

There are several important reminders if you lose power during this storm, please ensure that generators are operated outside and away from open windows or doors 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 space around them to reduce fire risk.

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

Based on the current forecast.

Hazardous travel conditions are expected Saturday and Sunday and may remain for several days due to the lingering low temperatures.

As the governor stressed, we would ask all North Carolinians to finalize preparations by Friday night and plan to stay off the roads this weekend.

Unnecessary travel not only puts you at risk, but also the public safety personnel, power crews and dot workers who are working to respond to emergencies to restore power, to clear roadways.

Quickly.

If you must drive in winter conditions are partners with the state Highway Patrol advise, reducing speeds significantly increasing the following distance between you and other vehicles and clearing all snow and ice from your vehicle before traveling.

Given the forecast, let's make their work easier by staying off the roads unless absolutely necessary.

The state emergency response team has been activated here at the state Emergency Operations center as well as that our regional coordination centers in Kinston, Burlington and Hickory.

Key partners, such as the Department of Transportation, the North Carolina National Guard and the state Highway Patrol, as well as the Department of Health and Human Services are working to address any resources or support that has requested by our local communities.

We've also activated our warehouses in Burlington and in Baden in Stanley County.

As of this morning, the state emergency response team has provided water meals.

Medical supplies and heating equipment to local communities are partners who have requested that support.

We're mobilizing elements of the North Carolina National Guard over the course of today.

And tomorrow to be able to assist with stranded motorists, assisting first responders with there emergency response roadway clearance and commodity distribution.

Additionally, we are placing aviation assets from the North Carolina National Guard and the state Highway Patrol on standby for any rescue or movement of critical resources and personnel into impacted communities as this storm moves out of the state later this weekend.

And as conditions allow.

Hot spot crews are being deployed along our major roadways primarily in western North Carolina, along I-40 in Clyde, I-40 at old Fort in McDowell County on the Salute, A grade in Polk County along I-77 and U.S.

3.21.

At Turner grade in Surry County.

As a reminder, these are combination teams of the NC DOT and North Carolina National Guard to ensure safe movement and address states stranded vehicles from along our major roadways.

These teams will be moved around those impacted areas as needed.

The North Lawn of Forest Service from the Department of Agriculture will be activating personnel and equipment to assist communities with tree removal from roadways as necessary to ensure both public safety access in general support to those communities.

Strategic communications personnel and equipment are being positions to assist with ensuring communication pathways are sustained and quickly restored if impacted.

Our partners at the North County Office of Emergency Medical Services or monitoring the needs of our health care community across the state, particularly our licensed care facilities and hospitals to quickly address any needs impacting patients.

We will continue to work with the entire state emergency response team are local and state governments, the private sector in our nonprofit in volunteer partners as the forecast continues to evolve to ensure we can support the 11 million North Carolinians as we go into the weekend, it is imperative that again, all North Carolinians are prepared with the personal preparedness kit of food, water, flashlights, batteries, and a plan to stay warm if you lose power.

For preparedness information and checklists.

As the governor said, please visit ready and see .gov.

Finally, please check on your friends, your family members and your neighbors or those in your community who may need additional support this weekend, we are stronger and more resilient together.

Thank you, Governor.

Thank you.

Governor director of North an apartment transportation has been preparing for this storm all week.

>> Our crews and contractors have been busy over the past several days.

Pretreating roads preparing their equipment.

Henry bolstering our supplies of salt.

As noted before the latest forecasts show widespread event that's likely to spread ice throughout the state.

North Carolina and the the event has the potential impact all roads, North Carolina.

Some locations could see winter weather, but they haven't seen in years.

For these reasons.

The storm has our full attention.

We have more than 2100 specially trained employees available to respond to the storm.

More than 1100 of those employees have already been hard at work.

Pretreating the roads.

They appreciated thousands of miles of roads with over 3,300 1000 gallons of brine.

We also have 1250 dump trucks that can be fitted to clear snow and ice.

We've got 913 contract trucks that are prepared and 217, that motor graders on standby.

We are staging some of the equipment in areas that are known trouble spots during the winter storm.

We have more than 150,000 tons of salt to treat roads or at least actively securing additional sought to replenish supplies throughout the storm.

If the current first forecast holds road conditions will deteriorate quickly as the storm moves through the state Saturday and into Sunday.

Our curve crews are prepared to work around the clock in shifts to plow and treat snow and eyes until state maintain roads are cleared.

This includes our teams that will work to remove fallen trees and debris from roadways and work with our utility partners.

And it's this is that involve down power lines.

Their efforts will be invaluable and restoring conductivity of ice.

And as a major component of the storm was, which is expected at this time.

As always, our first priorities are the major interstates followed by four-lane highways, state and U.S.

routes and then secondary roads.

Well, so a support system in place so staff less impacted.

Regions can shift resources throughout the state where we're needed.

We always work with our partners and state Highway Patrol in the North Carolina National Guard as well.

As noted before this, the stop the storm could be significant fall by a prolonged period of cold which means the roads to stay icy for the days ahead.

We asked the public for your cooperation and your patients.

Our crews will work hard to get your roads cleared as soon as possible.

We urge people to get prepared now for what's shaping up to be a very cold period in store for our state.

Please don't try to drive once the storm hits unless it's necessary.

Cars and ice simply do not mix.

This will help keep you safe and give our crews, emergency responders, the space.

They need to do their jobs.

Once conditions start to improve, please check Drive-In C .gov to get the latest travel information.

Please protect yourselves your families and everyone responded to the storm but being patient and playing it safe.

Secretary Johnson from the department has put a shun at this point.

We're happy to take questions from folks in the audience.

And if you would just >> go to the microphones and identify yourselves and we'll go from there.

>> Are there any parts of the state here monitoring closely as this storm has the potential to come with some pretty serious impacts.

>> The weather models indicate the storm is going to hit the vast majority of the state and one way or another.

The greatest likelihood of a lot of snow is in the far Southwest, a Transylvania county area.

And really it's only the far east where there may not be freezing rain or sleet or snow, but pretty much all of the rest of us need to be on on on alert.

>> Hi, Carolyn U-of-h with WRAL News.

What authority does the state have right now?

If utilities or private contractors failed to restore service quickly and are you prepared to use it?

I am.

>> Very confident.

And the leading utility Duke energy as well as all that electric co-ops, intellect or cities.

They are taking this storm very seriously and they are bringing in assets from other states that are not as threatened as North Carolina's.

And so I they're taking it extremely seriously.

And we look forward to working with them, clearing the roadways so they can quickly get where they need to go to ensure that people's power is restored asks as soon as possible.

And I w N C What is the latest projections from Duke Energy?

As far as the number of people who could this power from the scene?

I think at this point.

>> It's just an entirely premature for them to be able to know how many people lose power.

>> It really all depends on how much ice accumulates, the more ice there is more trees that will fall if there's incredible amounts of ice, you can actually impact the lines themselves.

The vast majority people will lose power.

Not because the lines fail, but because trees fall on those lines so we don't know how extensive it will be.

We anticipate that there will be people who lose power over the weekend.

Duke Energy is also anticipating that and that is why they are bringing in crews for across the country so that they can be prepared to respond as quickly as possible.

These temperatures are going to be very low and the days that follow and we don't want anyone to be without power for any minute longer than is absolutely necessary.

And I know that Duke Energy feels exactly the same way.

>> And then director Ray mentioned the communications infrastructure.

And if you can sort of walking through maybe what some of the lessons we learned from Helene and the prolonged outages there add those kind of being used now during this event, keep things up.

Director, thanks.

Thank you.

The question I think whether its Helene or some of the events that we've dealt with in the past.

I think the continued focus on making sure that state partners, state agencies response partners as well as our local communities have multiple layers of redundant communications.

And so a number of the response assets that we push out from a variety of the agencies that you see here on the stage now come with some redundant.

Com's equipment that now goes out with them as a result of some of the lessons are.

And we've we've had from both Helene as well as some some recent events.

Those are steps that many of our local governments and major public safety agencies have have also taken.

We have refined some of the available communications assets that we have here available at a state level.

We've moved some of those into primarily a central part of the state based on some potential needs and where we could see maybe potential impacts and need that support.

So I think we're what you're seeing certainly after Helene.

But again, really after every event is a continued privatization and focus on making sure that we've got the right communications assets out there to be able to support public safety as well as access to public safety.

And again, I think our partners at the state Highway patrol to incredible job maintain the VIPIR system and again, I think are are focused on making sure that that system is continues to be strong and resilient and and and available for those that need it so quickly say communications assets, you talking like starlings mobile towers a quote.

What are we talking about all the above?

I think whether it's mobile radios, whether it's I could be like Starlink, whether it's we have mobile towers.

We have some other kind of packages that have been put together that have multiple capabilities on it to be able to help local governments or local public safety agencies or our state partners be able to access necessary networks.

Just follow up on that.

General Hunt briefed us this morning about the work of the National Guard and each of these pre position groups have Starlink with them.

In addition to traditional forms of communication, we just want make sure that we're able to talk to each other no matter what happens with the weather.

I'm sorry, dot right on the news.

Windsor, you mentioned a couple different trouble spots.

What he what exactly makes some trouble spots and what does that look like as far as adding resources there in terms of >> equipment, personnel?

You know what?

What are the what's the extra going to do to help them all?

Have Secretary Johnson addressed that in detail but basically it's when the places and north on where the highways go up quickly.

Fort on heading up this garment and Surrey County and Polk County.

But if you would, well, >> yes, thank you.

Go.

Yes, that's right.

I mean, basically where there's a steep grade where you traction and its an icy conditions.

Roads are people like at least lose traction to lose control of more frequently.

So we're preposition we know this from overtime and learn from history to wear.

Those spots are going to take place.

So we've preposition equipment there and some of our resources will try to accelerate clearing those roads and getting them back to the usable condition.

So I mean, is it more trucks is at communicating with?

I mean, >> tractor trailer trucks that are coming through North Carolina from other states.

As far as getting the message out about.

>> Those areas and I mean, is it just plowing the roads?

What specifically are you done?

I think it's coming from all those things.

And the RTS team is working hard to get communications out.

We'll continue to monitor the storm.

>> You know, as it's not completely predict exactly where we'll hit, that we can push those messages out that the trucking community in the traveling public on where those hot spots are.

Obviously, we are encouraging everyone in the commercial community.

And and, you know, just the general public that might be traveling to stay off the roads.

Once the storm hits on Saturday.

But we will be pushing out those communications to reiterate, you know, where the spots might be or where troubles me exist on those spots and other places across the state of where we might not expected.

>> Actually set Carl Johnson will have you come forward if you would.

Tell me what your it because you have a troopers and those locations to what do your troopers experience sometimes and these hot spot locations.

So thank you, governor.

It.

To add to that.

So the part we have a very strong partnership with the Department transportation.

>> And our National Guard partners, they put heavy vehicles out there to help get these vehicles cleared out the road.

They get stuck, get him out of that area.

But what we see is is lucky said the vehicles will have a high concentration of crashes in these areas due to the grade.

It didn't go for that answer your point.

We also communicate.

We have a very strong partnership with the North Carolina Trucking Association.

And we've message with them where these hot spots or as well so they can alert all these companies.

North Carolina's part of a mega transport region.

So we have a lot of that traffic in North Carolina.

So we partner with them.

They notify other federal partners.

So everybody gets alerted what's going on through this area.

But we have troopers stage specifically with our department transportation partners and these National Guard units could be there helping us.

In surf.

Yes, sir.

>> And Mary Ellen with Axios rally.

I have a couple questions about the roads to are y'all on.

Are you grateful this storm is arriving on a weekend so you don't have like the 9 to 5 come you to worry about.

And and when it comes to asking people to stay off the roads are y'all like calling companies and stuff like are you asking like the Amazon's the delivery drivers of the world, too?

C stop this weekend are are you just for a relying on them to make those decisions and great question that there's no question that.

>> The fact that it looks like the storms could hit over the weekend.

It's good because a lot fewer people travel during the weekends than they do during the weekday.

So that's to the good it does raise risks on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with the black ice that will be on the highways that the temperatures we're going to get well below freezing every night Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and that will lead to whatever slush that melted over the course of the previous day to turn into ice that night.

And that's obviously incredibly problematic for traveling.

We have not been calling the private delivery companies and generally leave it to their own good judgment on Nov Willard, anyone offering on.

>> Governor with the Glen right with progressive news with a walk for peace.

Transcending through North Carolina.

Have you given them any warnings or express concerns to them where you just leaving it to them to make their decisions.

We're certainly aware of their coming in.

We really regret for their sake and the general public's 8 and people really excited to welcome them to rally so we're aware of them were in touch with them at this point.

We're not telling them what they should be doing again, sort of like with the delivery companies will leave everyone to make their own judgment is what makes the most sense for them.

And I will ask my colleagues have anything else to have.

Thank you.

Thank you.

It even from North Carolina's one authority, one of the main questions I'm getting is massive concern across the mountains about the powers loss.

>> How is the state preparing to maintain water resources?

There's been concern to weaken the structure costs, going to have a very big concern.

Yeah, that the infrastructure concerns are not limited just to electricity, but electricity drives water, distribution and wastewater systems worried about telecommunication systems.

>> That this is.

Has the potential to be a massive disruption to people's lives.

There's not that much we can do in advance to preposition because we don't know where it's going to hit other than what we're doing by going to he sort of known hot spots.

But one reason why we have the aerial assets on call it so that if we learn about a specific community that has experienced some catastrophic.

Damage to their their water infrastructure, that we can get resources to that area as quickly as possible to get those resources back online.

Good.

Alright.

At this point, we'll take questions from folks who are by phone.

If you could just identify your.

It's making a question you will be called upon and they get it would be helpful if you're identified your name and your media outlet.

Yeah.

>> A question.

Thank you so much.

I didn't think I was or wasn't.

You can answer that.

>> The I-40 heading through that you never aurash heading into the end of the immediate problem area previously warm in there.

Anything in particular that happening there this time around that room, you know, then over the weekend and anything else that people should know if they're heading that way, that that was a topic.

Thank you for your question phrase.

That was the topic.

>> During our morning briefing, Colonel Johnson has been in close communication with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and it's something we're keeping a close eye on at this point.

The highway has not been closed at this moment, but we will keep keep an eye on it.

Next question.

All right.

Thank you all so much for being here.