ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. - Coast Guard response operations are underway in the coastal portion of North Carolina.
- Coast Guard response teams have rescued 193 people and 91 pets. Of those numbers, helicopter crews from across the Coast Guard have rescued 133 people and 20 pets in North Carolina since Hurricane Florence began.
- Coast Guard shallow water response teams are clearing roads in the counties of Samson, Cumberland, Columbus and Lenoir to enable emergency crews and shallow water vessels to reach those in distress.
- Currently there are more than 3,000 Coast Guard members responding to Hurricane Florence.
- There are 35 shallow-water rescue boat teams deployed to North Carolina.
- The Coast Guard is currently conducting air operations based out of Elizabeth City and Savannah.
- Port Condition Zulu remains in effect for the ports of Wilmington and Morehead City, N.C., and Georgetown, S.C. In Port Condition Zulu the port is closed, and all port operations are suspended.
- The ports of Charleston, S.C., and Hampton Roads, VA, have been reopened, but mariners are encouraged to use extreme caution.
- Seven buoy-tending cutters have been directed to North Carolina to survey and open the ports of Wilmington and Morehead City as well as the North Carolina ferry system.
- Coast Guard helicopter crews from Air Station Savannah searched the entirety of the Georgia and South Carolina coast without finding anyone in need. These nine aircraft will be deployed to Myrtle Beach to begin operating in affected areas of North Carolina Sunday.
“As Tropical Storm Florence continues to move across North Carolina and parts of South Carolina, the Coast Guard stands with our federal, state and local partners to help those in distress,” said Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Karl Schultz. "If you find yourself in a life-threatening emergency, we ask you to call 911 for assistance, or hail the Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16.”
