Welcome to the Town of Franklin, NC

Welcome to the Town of Franklin. We invite you to explore our website for the latest information for residents, businesses, and visitors. Information is updated on a regular basis with announcements and other events happening in and around Franklin. Town Council meeting agendas & minutes, Town of Franklin sign & zoning ordinances, Public Notices and other information can also be found on FranklinNC.com.

---

Hurricane Helene Information

STATE OF EMERGENCY TERMINATED

As conditions associated with Hurricane Helene have progressively improved within the town limits of Franklin, a Termination of the State of Emergency was effective as of 7:00 p.m. on October 7, 2024.

READ FULL STATE OF EMERGENCY RESOLUTION »

 

HELENE RECOVERY INFORMATION (Tuesday Morning Update)

Services are coming back online for the Franklin area. There are still disruptions in cellular service , internet services and some businesses ability to accept credit / debit cards. Several stores are still cash only until communications repairs can be made.

Grocery stores are seeing some items sellout quickly with limited supplies of other items.

We thank all the utility, public safety, and other support personnel that continue to work around the clock to restore services following Helene's historic destruction in western North Carolina.

DOWNTOWN FREE WI-FI

The Town of Franklin has free Wi-Fi on the town hill area in downtown.

CELLULAR SERVICE

Data, voice, text and wireless home internet services are limited in Franklin, NC.

Disaster Roaming

Disaster Roaming has been enabled in North Carolina to help connect residents who may be otherwise offline. Disaster roaming allows any phone on any cellular network to access any available network to connect to, regardless of provider.

To turn disaster roaming on, iPhone users can do so by going to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options, and then toggle “Data Roaming” to the on position.

Android users can do so by going to Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Mobile Data, enable roaming

If a Wi-Fi connection is available, users can activate Wi-Fi calling to make calls.

Verizon

Verizon crews are working 24/7 until service is restored to all those affected by Hurricane Helene. In Franklin, Verizon has deployed a satellite trailer which is located on Cunningham Road off the U.S. 441 By-Pass.

Keep in mind the temporary satellite links do not have the same capacity as usual fiber connections to cell sites. Customers might notice slower speeds and have trouble with data-heavy apps for now. It is suggested sticking to calls and texts.

Verizon crews continue to see steady progress, with more than 90% of our impacted cell sites back on air. Fiber, the delicate cables that connect cell sites to the rest of the network, is still out in many areas. Teams are working on alternate forms of connectivity for those sites, such as the deployment of temporary satellite assets, as well as non-stop refueling efforts to ensure sites remain in service for customers and first responders. Verizon continues to work with power providers and fiber vendors, as well as state and government agencies to coordinate on priority restoration where possible.

To help residents in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene, Verizon has extended its offer to waive postpaid domestic call/text/data usage from Sept. 28-Oct. 27. This will bring relief to the thousands of customers who rely on their mobile devices now more than ever, especially during this challenging time.

Debris clean up and property repair are important tasks after a storm, but it’s important to not touch or cut any cable that may have been displaced due to high winds or flooding. Before beginning to clean up and make repairs, call 811 or visit call811.com to determine where fiber or other cables are buried. Contacting 811 before any clean up project, large or small, is the easiest step toward reducing the chance of damaging fiber - whether underground or aerial - and keeping customers and first responders connected in critical moments. Fiber is the invisible footprint that moves data throughout Verizon’s network across the country and around the world.

AT&T

Crews are working around the clock to restore services. The company reports that more than 60% of affected cell sites in the impact region have been restored.

T-Mobile

From T-Mobile - "Though conditions remain challenging, our teams are continuing to make progress across the Carolinas. We've executed hundreds of site assessments, deployed hundreds of portable generators and each day have expanded our deployment of portable assets to support public safety efforts and connect impacted communities. As technicians perform site assessments in extremely rural areas, we have brought in additional assets to support recovery where outages may otherwise be prolonged."

ROAD CLOSURES - IN FRANKLIN, ALL MAJOR ROADS ARE OPEN

Numerous roads were impacted by Helene in western North Carolina. You cannot get from North Carolina to Tennessee via I-40 or I-26. Estmated repair time is unknown as of now. There are nearly 700 active incidents on main and secondary roads.

Please note: The following link will connect you to DriveNC with real-time information on roads in WNC. There are many closed roads that are not listed on this site as many areas are not able to report at this time. Click or tap here for more information »

WELFARE CHECKS - MACON COUNTY ONLY

At this time Franklin Fire & Rescus is only doing welfare checks for people that have known medical issues. We will only perform the checks from 8am to 5pm. Call Franklin Fire & Rescue at 828-524-2332.

POWER

Duke Energy has restored all storm-related power outages in the Franklin area.

The company reports that their workers have restored power to 90% of Carolinas customers able to receive power following Helene and will continue working until all customers are restored. Duke Energy says it could be days before it completes restoration work for all customers capable of receiving service, especially in the hardest-hit areas.

To date, Duke Energy has restored 2.3 million customer outages in the Carolinas with more than 21,000 workers deployed in North Carolina and in Upstate South Carolina.

POSTAL SERVICE

The U.S. Postal Service has begun delivery in the 28734 zip code. The Post Office on Depot Street in Franklin is operating regular hours.

UPS & FedEx

FedEx reports that limited service is available in the Franklin area at this time including FedEx Freight.

UPS - According to their website, there is no disruption of services for the Franklin area.