Worcester County Sheriff's Office

We just concluded our Weather Briefing with our Emergency Services and Weather Folks. Florence continues to head towards the Carolina's with Wind Speeds around 130 mph. Our area is currently under a Coastal Flood Watch and we are already starting to see flooding along Route 12 in Snow Hill and Porter's Crossing Road. This trend of flooding will continue over the next several days. The current forecast for our immediate area with Florence is that we can expect a significant rain event beginning Thursday. Forecast rain totals do vary from a few inches up to 10 inches of rain. The wind currently is not as big of a concern as predicted but the track of the storm could still shift north and bring us increased winds and flooding. High Tides will also be problematic for all of us so please be aware. In the event of an Emergency Declaration for Worcester County, the following locations are designated Shelters.

1) Pocomoke High School
2) Stephen Decatur High School
3) Stephen Decatur Middle

No decision will be made about Shelter's being opened until Wednesday or Thursday. Our partners with the Board of Education are also aware and any decision about school delays or closings will be pushed out as needed. We have included a map of the areas that are zoned as flood areas for evacuation purposes. For your reference, Route 13 and Route 50 are the main evacuation routes to be used should the need arise. We continue to watch the track of the storm and will keep you updated as new information comes in.