Union County, NC, declares state of emergency as Hurricane Ian nears Carolinas

Union County just east of Charlotte has declared a State of Emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Ian’s impact.

The Charlotte region is facing a flood watch and tropical storm warning with a 100% chance of rain Friday.

Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall in South Carolina Friday and will then move inland toward North Carolina as a downgraded tropical storm, forecasters say. The storm’s sustained winds were at 85 mph early Friday.

The Union County’s Board of Commissioners declared the state of emergency to give the sheriff’s office greater authority “to close roads impacted by flooding and issue citations to motorists who disregard emergency barricades.”

The county seat, Monroe, has also declared a State of Emergency.

County officials say the move also allows county administrators “to increase funding allocated for emergency purposes,” according to a news release.

Ian is expected to bring bands of heavy rain and wind gusts to the region, which could result in downed trees and power outages, county officials said.

“This is a devastating storm that has already impacted millions across the southeast,” Emergency Management Director Andrew Ansley said in a release.

“We’ve been paying close attention to the weather forecasts for several days and planning preparedness efforts with local and state partners.”

This story was originally published September 30, 2022 at 5:36 AM.