North Carolina shelter taking in hundreds ahead of Hurricane Florence

GARNER, N.C. — What do you bring to a storm shelter when the future’s uncertain and you’re 6 years old? For Ayla Harper, the answer is pink rain boots.

“When we’re walking outside, I don’t want to get my flip flops wet,” she said.

Monica Scott brought onesies and formula for 3-month-old Kayden and 1-year-old Kinsley. She told CBS News she’s worried about “not having a place to go home to or a job.”

At a high-school-turned-haven near Raleigh, some 300 people and their pets receive meals and shelter ahead of Hurricane Florence. But Wake County manager David Ellis hopes they get more.

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“We have the opportunity to make a difference in their life,” Ellis said. “So as much as we can positively impact that, that’s what I want to make sure we do.”

Gayle Crespo evacuated there with her 85-year-old mother Frances. But she asked for help.

“I said, ‘God, Jesus Christ, would you please please protect our home and everyone else in Wilmington,'” she said.

It’s a common prayer in the shelter from the storm.