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North Carolina prepares for remnants of Hurricane Ian

The state's public safety and transportation departments started assembling crews and supplies to be ready for whatever Hurricane Ian brings to North Carolina.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Triad is preparing for the remnants of Hurricane Ian.

Governor Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency on Wednesday, with the storm heading our way this weekend.

The State of Emergency protects against price gouging of fuel and supplies. It also waives size and weight restrictions for relief vehicles and allows farmers to transport livestock and crops without weighing.

Those last two make it faster to move supplies quickly. NC Department of Public Safety Communications Officer Keith Acree recommends having a hurricane supply kit and making a family emergency plan.

"If you did need to evacuate, know where you would go," Acree said. "We recommend first staying with family and friends or at a hotel if you need to evacuate and to leave shelters as a last resort for people who have nowhere else to go."

NC DOT workers across the state are preparing gear like chainsaws and backhoes. DOT spokesman Aaron Moody said it'll put our state in a good position to respond to whatever comes our way.

"We hope to do some preventative work out there that can keep our drain inlets and culverts (clear) and keep water off of roadways where it might have collected if it's clogged up," Moody said.

About 1,000 state DOT workers are also on standby. The big advice is to stay off the road during the storm and never drive or walk through standing water.

There is a lot of help from our state headed down to Florida. Part of that is more than 1,000 blood donations from the Blood Connection.

With that supply off the shelves here, the group is asking for more donations to replenish supplies to our hospitals.

"We're going to see a lot of wind and heavy rain so we're seeing our hospitals reach out, hoping to stock up ahead of this weekend," Blood Connection Press & Media Coordinator Katie Smithson said.

The organization said donating before the storm gets here could save lives all along Ian's path.

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