North Carolina County Maps

4:50 pm-Fire officials watch to see if storms will hit, bringing rain relief ...

Information about the Holly Shelter Game Lands fire as of Thursday evening:
• More than 21,300 acres have burned, and the fire was 10-percent contained.
• Thunderstorms moved through the area bringing winds that kicked up flames near Atkinson and caused the fire to jump containment lines.
• Evacuations still are voluntary and not mandatory. A shelter that operated at Topsail Elementary School closed Thursday night because it had been unused with most evacuees going to hotels or friends' homes instead. The shelter will be reopened if needed, and anyone needing shelter should call 259-1515.
• If people need to move livestock, an animal shelter is operating at the Sampson County Livestock Arena for cattle, goats, sheep, horses and poultry, though not pigs. People should call 604-3378 if they need to take animals there.
• An open burning ban remains in place for the area.
• Residents east of Interstate 95 could experience unhealthy air quality, and people are advised to avoid or reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors if they can see and smell smoke. Very dense smoke is expected for drivers on roads downwind and within 10 miles of the fire.
• Donations of water, sports drinks and snacks are being collected to give to firefighters. Drop-off spots are: the Burgaw Chamber of Commerce, 115 S. Dickerson St., Pender Memorial Hospital, 507 E. Fremont St. and Burgaw Police Department, 109 N. Walker St.

Source: Pender County Emergency Management, National Weather Service, N.C. Forest Service

Stormy conditions rolling across the region whipped up erratic winds Thursday evening, causing a wildfire near Atkinson to jump its containment lines and begin spreading again, the director of Pender County Emergency Management said.

The 60-acre fire is separate from the massive one burning in the Holly Shelter Game Land.

The weather developments brought up new concerns for firefighters battling dual blazes in Pender County that have so far scorched some 19,000 acres.

"We're definitely getting a thunderstorm," said Emergency Management Director Tom Collins, "...but this isn't enough to put it out."

Officials had to wait until the storms passed overhead to surmise whether the winds fueled the much larger Holly Shelter blaze.

WNCSOS: Jackson County, NC Chamber of Commerce: Landslide Hazard ...

These no-risk representations are refuted by decades-old federal/state land-use studies  which classify the region's mountain soils as impracticable for development. In other words, landslides and soil slippage are expected to have a negative impact on  homes and private roads. Experts define critical slopes as those on and above a 15% grade. In 1998 federal officials [FEMA] notified the state and twenty-seven Western North Carolina county governments, including Jackson, that the region's mountain slopes were unstable. Six years later, September 2004, debris flows caused loss of life and homes [Macon County] and extensive damage in eighteen other counties. Federal authorities issued two disaster declarations. As growth and development occur at an increasing rate in the County, the natural and manmade limitations to development become more apparent. Topography—primarily steep slopes—has been one of the more significant limitations to development. Map 1 [See Appendix] categorizes the development potential of land in the county based upon its slope, with land having a slope in excess of 30 percent considered to have severe limitations to development and lands with a slope in excess of 40 percent considered not suitable for development. Given these parameters, almost half the land in the county either has severe limitations on development or is considered not suitable for development. Cooperation and interest from County staff, especially Gerald Green, Robby Shelton and Kevin Jamison has greatly facilitated the project. Field guidance and historical information on landslides provided by Robby Shelton has been a great help in expediting the mapping and data collection. Thanks to Kevin Jamison who provided the new 2010 ortho-imagery on 4/11/2011. Identification of any areas of concern within the County will help prioritize sites for field visits. Ramp Cove Debris Slide : Slide reactivated in 2007 after excavation in toe of older, dormant slide that had developed in a pre-existing debris deposit. A home site under construction was abandoned after slide movement covered part of the foundation excavation for a new house. Residences below toe of active slide currently not affected by slide activity. Figure 2. Preliminary map showing a landslide developed in pre-existing debris deposits in Ramp Cove.The shaded area shows the approximate extent of the active slide as of March 2011.

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