01/23/2026
Hello Avery County! You’ve had days to prepare for the winter storm coming our way. We hope you are as ready as you can be and that we get nothing but rain! However, models are showing ice, snow, rain and at the end frigid temperatures. If this happens Avery County Emergency Management is ready. In the event of large scale power outages we have 3 warming shelters on standby. The Rock Gym in Newland, Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Banner Elk and Riverside Elementary school in the lower end of the county. The Rock Gym in Newland will have the animal trailer as well, if you go to the other shelters with animals they must be crated, no exceptions. If/ when these shelters are opened we will announce it here and in hyper-reach for the areas it affects. If you need to utilize a warming shelter please bring your blankets, pillows, snacks & your medications. EOC will be on standby and open if needed, the non-emergent number once opened is 828-733-8273. Do NOT call 911 for General Information, it is for emergencies only. We are from the mountains and winter weather is not new to us, don’t panic, just be prepared.
