Tropical storm Isaias could bring heavy rain, power outages to central North Carolina
Isaias weakened to a tropical storm on Saturday evening as some North Carolina coastal counties began evacuations and others urged residents to prepare for potential rain, flooding and winds.
The storm is no longer expected to regain its hurricane status as it reaches Florida on Sunday and is now tracking farther west toward the Interstate-95 corridor.
The storm could bring heavy rain, strong winds and flash flooding as it reaches Central North Carolina early Tuesday morning, reported ABC 11, The News & Observer’s media partner.
“We could have numerous trees go down,” ABC 11 meteorologist Steve Stewart said. “If trees are going down power outages are possible.”
In a news release Saturday, Cooper said residents should prepare for localized flooding, power outages and road closures.
“As we learned with Hurricane Florence, even a category one storm can bring severe impacts, and we should not take this lightly,” Cooper said. He noted that dangerous rip currents are already impacting along the coast.
Dare County declared a state of emergency and called for a mandatory evacuation for Hatteras Island visitors starting Saturday. A mandatory evacuation for residents and property owners took effcect at 6 a.m. Sunday.
Ocean Isle Beach ordered a noon Saturday evacuation for renters and visitors, and adjacent Holden Beach did the same for 7 p.m. Saturday, The Charlotte Observer reported. Both of those barrier islands are in Brunswick County.
In Carteret County — home to Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach — officials recommended preparing an emergency hurricane kit that includes nonperishable food, water and clothing that could sustain a family for three days. A flashlight, radio and spare batteries, are also recommended, along with blankets, rain gear, appropriate footwear and special food or medicine needed for family members.
Craven County officials urged residents to check their emergency supplies and add hand sanitizer and face masks to the list. Emergency officials have warned it may take residents longer to obtain those items due to shortages caused by COVID-19.
The county news release also encouraged residents to identify a safe place to shelter.
“If staying with family or friends to evacuate from the storm, talk to them about how everyone can best be protected from COVID-19,” the release stated.
Tropical Storm Isaias’ path
As of 11 p.m. Saturday, Tropical Storm Isaias was traveling at about 9 mph with maximum sustained winds near 70 mph.
While uncertainty remains on the exact track of the storm, the weather service warned that residents in central and eastern North Carolina should prepare for possible heavy rain and strong winds on Monday and Tuesday.
The National Weather Service’s 11 p.m. forecast indicated that North Carolina could see an average of 2 to 5 inches of rain, with 7-inch totals in some places.
Hurricane season hasn’t reached its peak and not since 2005 has the U.S. had a hurricane this early in the season starting with the letter ‘I’,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Aaron Swiggett. Hurricanes’ names are picked ahead of time with rotating male and female names that cycle through the alphabet.
Swiggett said Isaias should be out of the area within 24 hours after it arrives, which would help prevent widespread flooding.
Duke Energy is preparing for potential power outages and encouraged customers in the Carolinas to do the same.
“We know many of our customers are spending lots of time at home due to the pandemic, and they’re depending on us for reliable power,” Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy’s Carolinas storm director said in a press release. “If power outages occur, our repair teams are ready to safely restore power as quickly as possible.”
States of emergency
Cooper declared a state of emergency on Friday for North Carolina, meaning there are now two active states of emergency in North Carolina. The order joins the COVID-19 declaration that has been active for more than four months, The News & Observer reported.
On Saturday morning, Carteret County amended its COVID-19 state of emergency to include the potential impacts of Isaias. County officials said they don’t anticipate any evacuations with this storm.
Hyde County commissioners declared a mandatory evacuation for Ocracoke, telling visitors to leave immediately and property owners to start leaving Saturday at 6 a.m., The News & Observer reported. Access to the island is limited.
Onslow County commissioners also declared a state of emergency Friday. The county includes North Topsail Beach and part of Surf City.
Shelters as a last resort
Cooper and North Carolina Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry are urging North Carolinians who could be affected by the storm to figure out were they would go if their local government declared an evacuation order.
Ideally, Sprayberry said, evacuees would stay with friends or family safely inland, followed by paying for a hotel room and only stay in a shelter as a last resort.
Evacuees depending on the “last resort” shelters would first go to a reception center, a site likely along the Interstate 95 corridor, where they would be screened for COVID-19 symptoms and then assigned to a shelter, The News & Observer reported.
Keith Acree, an emergency management spokesman, said that evacuees could be sent to mass shelters or hotels. Dormitories, hotels and other shelters that allow people to socially distance are ideal to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Sprayberry said. But he added that the state will only be able to provide that option if there are open hotel rooms when the storm reaches North Carolina.
The News & Observer contacted several hotels Saturday in Durham and Raleigh on Saturday. Most hotel clerks said they had plenty of capacity and weren’t receiving any Isaiah-related bookings yet.
Officials in Brunswick County, in the state’s southeastern corner, said they’ll open two shelters at middle schools if necessary, but social distancing will reduce the capacity of the shelters. Shelter guests will be screened for COVID-19, and individuals suspected to have the virus will be isolated.
Pamlico County officials also said in a press release that arrangements are being made for emergency shelters, but space will be limited due to COVID-19.
This story was originally published August 1, 2020 at 2:28 PM.
