RALEIGH
Sep 3, 2016
As Tropical Storm Hermine moves quickly through North Carolina, Governor Pat McCrory is reminding the public not to let its guard down just yet. The governor has instructed state Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry to work with the counties to provide state support if needed, assess any potential damages and monitor river levels.
“I’m relieved that everyone took this storm seriously, paid attention to the weather forecast and heeded the warnings of state and local officials,” said Governor McCrory. “But I want everyone to continue to exercise caution as they enjoy the rest of the Labor Day weekend. Since the biggest result has been flooding, if you come across flooded roads, turn around; it’s not worth risking your safety.”
The latest forecast shows that Hermine is located 60 miles west-northwest from Cape Hatteras and is expected to be off of the North Carolina coast later today. Showers will linger throughout the day with additional accumulations of 1 to 3 inches of rain through Monday morning. A tropical storm warning remains in effect for areas north of Ocracoke Inlet. Tropical storm force winds remain possible for the Outer Banks area today.
Emergency Management officials are closely monitoring river gauges for potential flooding especially along the northeast Cape Fear River near Chinquapin and Burgaw, along the Scuppernong River near Columbia, the Pungo River near Belhaven and the Oriental area.
The risk of strong rip currents, high seas and beach erosion along the coast will continue through the holiday weekend.
North Carolina Department of Transportation officials reported that a few secondary roads are closed due to flooding including: NC 53 near Jacksonville, NC 210 at Topsail Beach near Casha Road and NC 133 in Boiling Spring Lakes near Funston Road. Officials will be out later today assessing any potential damage to roads and bridges. Motorists should be on alert this weekend for ponding on low-lying roadways and slippery roads throughout the state.
Overnight state troopers received 145 calls for assistance in the eastern part of the state. Highway Patrol officials reported the number of crashes last night was about half of what they typically respond to on a Friday night.
More than 30,800 power outages were reported across the state as of 10 a.m. with all but about 2,000 of those in eastern North Carolina. Utility companies have surged extra resources to the east and are working to restore power as quickly as possible.
Governor McCrory issued a State of Emergency declaration on Thursday for 33 eastern counties to facilitate the movement of any needed resources to respond to, and recover from, the storm. He also issued an executive order that waives certain truck restrictions on weight and hours of service in order to facilitate quicker storm response.
For the latest information on the weather, stay tuned to local media and listen for updates from the National Weather Service. Follow on social media using #HermineNC. Information is also available at www.ReadyNC.org and on the free ReadyNC mobile app.
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