Even with evacuation orders in place for the most outlying parts of the Outer Banks due to Hurricane Erin, state emergency personnel say that the rest of the North Carolina coastline is still safe to travel for folks planning a trip ahead of the start of the traditional school calendar.
In an email to WUNC, NC Emergency Management spokesperson Justin Graney said people can travel in areas that do not have an evacuation order in place and advised that they check DriveNC.gov for any updates on roadways, as well as social media accounts and local government websites for the areas they are traveling to.
"The rip current risk will remain into the weekend and visitors to the beach should refrain from getting the water until further notice for their safety," Graney wrote.
The storm is churning hundreds of miles southeast of the North Carolina coastline and isn't expected to make landfall, but forecasters expect fierce winds and high surf — waves of 15 to 20 feet — along the Outer Banks. Forecasters expect the storm to peak over the next 48 hours and say it could re-intensify into a major hurricane by Wednesday night.
Crews are shoring up protective dunes next to NC-12, which is getting periodic ocean overwash. Mandatory evacuations have been in effect for Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands, and a storm surge warning remains in in effect for the entirety of the Outer Banks. Storm surge is expected to peak overnight.
Gov. Josh Stein declared Tuesday a State of Emergency to mobilize resources and personnel in preparation for the impacts of Erin. In a press conference Wednesday, he said the state is bracing for coastal flooding, tropical-storm force winds, and life-threatening rip currents tonight.
"No one should be in the ocean," Stein said at the briefing.
Stein said some inland search and rescue teams have been moved to eastern North Carolina in case water rescues are necessary. Rescuers saved more than a dozen people caught in rip currents Tuesday at Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina — a day after more than 80 people were rescued.
North Carolinians who have evacuated can shelter at the State Operated Disaster Shelter hosted by Warren County Emergency Management at 113 Wilcox Street in Warrenton, N.C. Pets are allowed at this shelter.
Dozens of beach homes already worn down from chronic beach erosion and the loss of protective dunes could be at risk, said David Hallac, superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Authorities warned that time was running out to leave, but most residents decided to stay despite evacuations ordered on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands.
“We probably wouldn't stay if it was coming directly at us,” said Rob Temple, who operates sailboat cruises on Ocracoke.
His biggest concern was whether the main route will be washed out, and if tourists and delivery trucks will be cut off from the thin stretch of low-lying barrier islands that are increasingly vulnerable to storm surges.
The National Hurricane Center is also watching two tropical disturbances to the east of Erin that could develop into named cyclones. With thousands of miles of warm ocean water, hurricanes known as Cape Verde storms are some of the most dangerous that threaten North America.
