A nonprofit that supplies blood to area hospitals is asking people to make donations before Hurricane Ian potentially disrupts supplies. Hurricane Ian is projected to strike Florida on Wednesday, by which time it could be a Category 4 hurricane with winds of up to 140 miles per hour. By the time it hits southwest North Carolina, it’s expected to be downgraded to a tropical depression, according to the National Hurricane Center.
It’s also expected to impact eastern North Carolina. There's still a lot of uncertainty about the storm's path. Emergency management officials say residents in all parts of the state should sign up for weather alerts and prepare emergency supplies.