Social Security has announced the closing of several offices in North and South Carolina due to the threat of Hurricane Florence.
As of the writing of this blog, USA Today reported that Florence was slowing its approach to the East Coast, but “was expected to take a dangerous turn south and stall along the edge of North Carolina and South Carolina – bombarding the area with torrential rain, high winds and deadly storm surge Thursday through Saturday.”
The Category 4 storm consisted of 130 mph winds that are expected to sweep away trees and power lines and more than 20 inches of rain is expected to fall. Florence was still projected to make landfall sometime between Sept. 13 and 14. More than 1 million people in North and South Carolina have been ordered to evacuate coastal areas.
In response, Social Security has closed the following offices in North Carolina through September 14:
- Ahoskie
- Elizabeth City
- Fayetteville
- Fayetteville Hearing Office
- Greenville
- Goldsboro
- Kinston
- Lumberton
- New Bern
- Roanoke Rapids
- Rocky Mount
- Sanford
- Smithfield
- Washington
- Whiteville
- Wilmington
- Wilson
In South Carolina, the following offices will be closed through September 14:
- Beaufort
- Charleston
- Charleston Hearing Office
- Georgetown
- Myrtle Beach
- Walterboro
In addition to Social Security’s closures, more than 575 flights have been cancelled through Friday in travel areas near the hurricane and Amtrak also cancelled trains and modified services for other regions in response to the hurricane’s impact.
Even if your local Social Security office will be closed due to Hurricane Florence, many services will still be available online at www.ssa.gov. Social Security can also be reached by phone, and anyone who had a previously scheduled phone appointment or in-person appointment scheduled with one of the closed offices is encouraged to reach Social Security at 800-772-1213.
