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Coastal North Carolinians Prepare For Hurricane Florence

Many North Carolina residents are evacuating coastal areas while others are preparing emergency stores to get them through what the Federal Emergency Management Agency is predicting will be the strongest storm to hit the state in decades. 

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Wilmington partner station WHQR reporter Vince Winkel about how coastal North Carolinians are preparing for Hurricane Florence.

The University of North Carolina's Institute of Marine Sciences director Rick Leuttich estimates storm surges reaching 10 to 12 feet on the North Carolina coast. Governor Cooper has ordered a mandatory evacuation of North Carolina’s barrier islands, including the Outer Banks.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Wilmington partner station WHQR reporter Vince Winkel for his latest report from the coast. 

Emmett West pulls his boat from a nearby marina to secure it at his home ahead Hurricane Florence in Morehead City, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018.
David Goldman / AP Photo
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AP Photo
Emmett West pulls his boat from a nearby marina to secure it at his home ahead Hurricane Florence in Morehead City, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018.

Copyright 2018 North Carolina Public Radio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.