News Flash

City crews are clearing stormwater catch basins and CityLink will be staffed around the clock this weekend as the city prepares for the possibility of heavy rains this weekend from the remnants of Hurricane Ian.

As of 6:30 a.m. today, the National Weather Service in Raleigh was forecasting up to two to six inches of rain for central North Carolina from Friday through mid-day Saturday. However, the actual amount of rainfall could vary, depending upon the track of the storm and the speed with which it moves through the Triad.

Any heavy downpours could result in flash flooding. The city’s field operations crews have been clearing storm grates in advance of the storm, especially in built-up areas and other areas prone to flooding. Crews have been put on standby in case they have to work over the weekend.

The storm also could bring wind gusts up to 40 mph through Saturday. The combination of wet grounds with gusty winds could blow down weak or leaning trees and could lead to isolated power outages.   

Vegetation Management will have an on-call crew available around the clock and is prepared to mobilize additional crews if needed. Crews have been ensuring their equipment is in working order.

City residents should call CityLink at 311 or 727-8000 – not 911 – to report downed trees and flooded streets. CityLink will be staffed from 7 p.m. Friday through 5 p.m. Sunday in order to promptly relay calls about these and other incidents related to the storm. The hours may be adjusted depending on the situation come Sunday.

The Fire and Police departments will be at their normal staffing levels and will be prepared to respond to calls for service. The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Office of Emergency Management is monitoring the storm but is not planning to activate the emergency operations center. All organizations that have representatives in the EOC have been asked to have someone available should it become necessary to activate the center.