City officials stressed safety for their citizens while awaiting the impacts of Hurricane Florence on the city.

Safety means staying inside the house during the storm if you haven’t evacuated from the city.

“Just continue to be safe inside of the house, and if the power goes out, we prefer you not to use candles. If you do, don’t leave them unattended,” said Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Brian Spicer.

Staying inside the home gives everyone the best chance of staying safe.

“I would discourage going outside, because if there is something loose outside and it becomes a projectile, you will become the target,” Spicer said. “We don’t want anything to happen that will cause you to call 911 during the height of the storm.”

With high wind, there is the chance power lines will become an additional hazard outside.

“The safest thing you can do is hunker down until it has the opportunity to pass,” Spicer said.

Avoiding emergency calls is important for Spicer, because they cannot be certain they can get to someone quickly.

“If you have an emergency, dial 911, and we will do everything we can to get to you,” Spicer said. “There comes a point where some localities will stop responses if the winds reach a certain threshold, and then they evaluate on a case-by-case basis.”

With local winds only in the tropical storm range, the city didn’t anticipate having to stop emergency services during Florence.