North Carolina · Local Emergency
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Set your location on the North Carolina page to see your county emergency contacts.
Get alerted
NC has two layers of alerts — the state system and your county system. Sign up for both. The county system is typically faster for local events; the state system covers larger-scale disasters.
State system
Statewide coverage
North Carolina's official emergency preparedness portal. Weather alerts, evacuation orders, shelter locations, and road conditions — all in one place.
Sign up at ReadyNC.govCounty system
Your county specifically
Most NC counties operate their own alert systems (ReadyWake, ReadyNHC, etc.) that send hyperlocal notifications. Search "[your county] emergency alerts NC" to find yours.
Find your county EM office →Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) are sent automatically to your phone by cell towers when there's an imminent threat in your area — no signup required. Make sure your phone settings allow emergency alerts: Settings → Notifications → Emergency Alerts.
NC emergency contacts
Save these before you need them. Screenshot this page and keep it accessible offline.
State Emergency Management
NC Emergency Management (NCEM)
919-825-2500
24-hr watch: 919-733-3300 · Toll-free: 800-858-0368
Roads & Traffic
NC State Highway Patrol
*HP or *47
Non-emergency from mobile · Reserve 911 for emergencies with injuries
Coastal NC: Know Your Evacuation Zone
Twenty NC coastal counties have predetermined evacuation zones (A through F or similar). Evacuation orders are issued by zone — if you're on the coast, find yours before hurricane season opens June 1. Knowing your zone is faster than searching during an event.
Find your evacuation zone at ReadyNC.govUtility outages
North Carolina has four major utility providers. Find yours, bookmark the outage page, and report as soon as power goes out — early reports speed restoration prioritization.
Central & western NC
Largest utility in NC — serves most of the Piedmont, Charlotte metro, and western regions. Report outages online or call 800-POWER-ON (800-769-3766).
View outage map →
Eastern NC
Serves the Coastal Plain and eastern NC counties including the Triangle and parts of the coast. Same outage portal as Duke Energy — select "Progress" region.
View outage map →
Northeastern NC
Serves northeastern NC counties near the Virginia border. Report outages online or call 866-366-4357.
View outage map →
Rural NC — 2.5 million served
26 member-owned cooperatives serve rural NC. Find your co-op at ncelectriccooperatives.com — each has its own outage reporting line and restoration map.
Find your co-op →
When it's happening
These update continuously during active events. Bookmark them now. Load times are minimal — designed to work on low-bandwidth connections.
Real-time road closures, incidents, and traffic cameras statewide. The most reliable source during flooding and winter storms when social media spreads misinformation.
Open NCDOT TIMS →
Official shelter locations activated during disasters. Updated by ReadyNC during active events. Pet-friendly shelter information is included when available.
Find open shelters →
Official weather warnings, watches, and advisories for NC from the National Weather Service office in Raleigh. Text-only version available for low-bandwidth.
Open NWS Raleigh →
Real-time river levels across NC. Critical during tropical events — the Neuse, Cape Fear, Tar, and French Broad all have histories of dangerous inland flooding.
Check river gauges →
American Red Cross shelter locator — updated in real time during active disasters. Complements the official NC shelter list with Red Cross-operated locations.
Find Red Cross shelters →
Active boil water advisories from NC DHHS. Flooding frequently compromises water systems — check this before assuming tap water is safe after a major event.
Check advisories →
Live data
Enter your ZIP code to see active weather alerts, FEMA declarations, and recent earthquake activity pulled directly from federal databases.
Enter your ZIP code to see live alerts and conditions for your county.
Next steps
Financial recovery
Unemployment, SNAP, LIHEAP, Medicaid, and 211 resources for North Carolina households.
Local Safety NetBefore next time
Step-by-step actions for hurricane, flood, tornado, winter storm, and evacuation readiness in NC.
NC Checklists