Florence is currently a Category 4 storm and possible impacts by late this week and into the weekend include heavy rain with localized flooding, downed trees and other wind damage.

Roanoke Rapids city government is expected to issue a statement Tuesday, City Manager Joseph Scherer said earlier this afternoon.

The Roanoke Rapids Graded School District said in its automated alert call system it is monitoring the situation with the storm and will make a determination later whether to close schools.

The county encourages residents to sign up for free alerts from Halifax County Emergency Services with the Nixle Alert System.

Sign up can be found at this link.

Stay informed during this event via television and radio, using a NOAA battery-powered radio. Emergency kits should include supplies to last at least three days.

This includes water — one gallon per person per day — food, a first-aid kit, prescription and over-the-counter medicines, baby supplies, pet foods, medical supplies, clothes, cash, and personal hygiene items.

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New Dixie Oil Statement

With eyes on the storm and its ultimate landfall destination, Scott Aman, president of New Dixie Oil, said in a statement, “We — John Elam, wholesale operations manager, with our long, dedicated,hard-working team of drivers and all our other leadership and support staff — will manage supply the best we possibly can.”

Said Aman: “I recommend community leaders and the media communicate in a way that reminds all customers to not panic, be prepared, be respectful, not selfish and conserve. At this time we have supply at all terminals.

“However, as the week progresses, allocations will kick in and we may have some stores that will run out of some products occasionally for short periods.  At this time with all that I know, I do not see us being completely out of gas or diesel at all area stores all at once. Obviously due to the storm, loss of power and utilities will be an additional concern.”

Roanoke Rapids Theatre

Due to impending weather conditions, Roanoke Rapids Theatre has postponed events scheduled for Friday and Saturday, including the Uncle Kracker show on Friday and the venue’s soft opening on Saturday.

The theatre announced it will aid in storm preparation and response efforts for the Halifax County region, including free bottled water for local residents.

The new date for Uncle Kracker will be announced in the coming days. All tickets purchased for Friday’s performance will be honored for the rescheduled show.

The soft opening on Saturday was a free event and is also being rescheduled. Visit www.RRTLive.com for details about event times and tickets, or call the theatre at 800-RRT-LIVE (844-778-5483).

Theatre owners Tom and Evon McLean are utilizing the venue to assist Halifax County residents and utility workers in advance of Hurricane Florence, which is expected to impact local weather if the storm makes landfall in North Carolina as predicted.

Free bottled water will be given away on site at the Roanoke Rapids Theatre Tuesday beginning at noon and continuing as long as supplies last.

The venue will also be assisting local and regional energy utilities, providing staging areas for workers and heavy equipment that will be deployed for repair, power restoration and clean-up efforts throughout the Halifax County region. The site was selected for its central location at Exit 171 on Interstate 95 providing easy access to the interstate corridor and the greater Roanoke Rapids community.

“The Roanoke Rapids Theatre management team expressed its thanks to everyone who purchased tickets to Uncle Kracker as it works with the artist to reschedule the performance as quickly as possible. Representatives of the venue emphasized that the safety of theatre patrons, performers and staff is its highest priority,” the venue said in a statement.

National Weather Service

At its 5:30 p.m. briefing the NWS out of Raleigh said “confidence continues to increase that life-threatening impacts will be felt across the Carolinas.”

The agency is predicting extreme impacts for wind, flash flooding, river flooding and power outages across central North Carolina as well as an elevated risk for tornadoes.

Wind from the storm is expected to begin Thursday and into the weekend. Flash flooding is expected to begin Thursday and last through the weekend while river flooding is expected to begin over the weekend and into early next week.

Tornadoes could occur Thursday and Friday while power outages are expected Thursday through much of the weekend.