Stein holds press briefing on preparing for Hurricane Erin

A day after declaring a State of Emergency, Gov. Josh Stein held a press briefing Wednesday morning on the latest updates and preparation as Hurricane Erin impacts North Carolina’s coast.

Currently a Category 2 hurricane, Erin is expected to strengthen today and is already impacting areas along the state’s coastline, especially the Outer Banks.

“We are anticipating coastal flooding from massive waves, tropical storm force winds and tidal and storm surges along much of the state’s shoreline, especially the Outer Banks, from this evening through Thursday, and life-threatening rip currents for most of the week,” the governor said during the briefing.

Both he and Emergency Management Director Will Wray stressed that no one should be in the ocean, swimming or otherwise. There have already been several water rescues of swimmers, particularly in the Wrightsville Beach area. Extensive beach erosion is also expected along much of the coast.

Wray said that even though the storm is forecast to remain offshore, it may fluctuate in strength over the next day or so and will remain a hurricane while making its closest approach to North Carolina late today and into tomorrow.  The system is expected to turn northward today and then northeastward tomorrow, gaining forward speed while moving away from North Carolina.

“If you’ve been asked to evacuate, please do so now before conditions deteriorate and roads become impassable,” he said. “Do not drive around barricades, and do not drive through flooded waters. You cannot judge the depth or speed of floodwaters from inside your vehicle. I want to remind everyone, regardless of the track of the center of the storm, dangerous conditions can be felt far from the eye, especially with a system as large as Erin, regardless of her track.”

Wray added that moderate to locally significant impacts are expected along the coast and are expected to peak today and into tomorrow.

Extremely large, dangerous waves are forecasted around 20 feet in height, along with a storm surge of two to four feet on top of the surf, which will likely impact the dunes along portions of the North Carolina coast, especially east and southeast-facing beaches, like the Outer Banks. Numerous roadways will likely become impassable, especially on Highway 12.

“In communities on the barrier islands, this will be a longer-duration event with coastal flooding expected over several high tide cycles,” Stein said. “We will see rain bands trailing Erin that will also impact the area’s already saturated soils, which could lead to extended impacts.”

Local states of emergency have been declared in Currituck, Dare, and Hyde counties, and mandatory evacuations are in place for Ocracoke and Hatteras islands. A Tropical Storm Warning is now in effect from Beaufort Inlet North to Duck, and a Storm Surge Warning is now in effect from Cape Lookout to Duck.

 After Hyde County issued a mandatory evacuation on Sunday, ferries to and from Ocracoke Island evacuated 2,263 people and 1,113 vehicles from the barrier island to the mainland. 

Emergency officials urged those under an evacuation order to take action now before it’s too late.

A state-operated disaster shelter has been set up at 113 Wilcox Street in Warrenton, Warren County. Pets are allowed at the shelter, which is hosted by Warren County Emergency Management and funded by the General Assembly.

STATE EMERGENCY RESPONSE plan IN PLACE

Both Stein and Wray outlined the preparations that have been put in place by the state’s Emergency Response team.

• The state’s Emergency Operations Center and the Regional Coordination Center East in Kinston have been activated to facilitate the movement of resources and commodities into impacted communities and to support local response.
• Three swift water rescue teams made up of the North Carolina Marine Patrol, North Carolina Wildlife Resources, and a joint team made up of the Wake Forest Fire Department and the Knightdale Fire Department, as well as three of the state’s Search and Rescue Task Forces from Buncombe County, the Charlotte Fire Department and the Greensboro Fire Department all of which have water rescue, structural collapse and wide area search capabilities have been positioned in eastern North Carolina.
• 200 National Guard troops have been activated to various locations on the coast, along with boats, high-clearance vehicles, and aircraft
• Chinook helicopters from Georgia and other nearby states are on standby, ready to transport food, water, and any other large-scale movement.
• The state’s logistics team is ready to support commodity distribution from the state’s warehouses.
• North Carolina’s Highway Patrol is working to ensure safe evacuation routes and needed road closures are put in place, which potentially may last for days, as roads, particularly NC-12, may be impassable for days.
• Additional local emergency managers and public safety personnel have deployed from non-impacted portions of the state to serve on incident management teams.
• The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has equipment and personnel staged and ready to clear roadways along the coast as conditions improve later this week.

WAYS TO STAY INFORMED

The governor urged those affected by Hurricane Erin to stay informed through reputable sources such as local media and the National Weather Service and register online for emergency text and phone alerts from their county’s emergency management agency. He added that reports on social media should not be trusted.

“I want to emphasize the importance of taking this storm seriously because it’s a serious storm, and conditions can deteriorate quickly,” Stein said.

He also listed helpful websites, including knowyourzone.nc.gov for evacuation zones along the coast, drivenc.gov for all of the latest road and highway information, and readync.gov/erin for all of the latest information on the storm.

In addition, the governor said people should have a disaster kit with enough food, water, and supplies for three to five days for each person and pet, as well as cash, phone chargers, medications, an evacuation plan, and ways to contact family.

Stein, a Democrat, said they will have to see what the impacts will be from Hurricane Erin and whether or not federal assistance is needed.

He also said the General Assembly has enough money in the Rainy Day Fund despite not passing a budget to handle the effects of Erin and that they need to engage with the General Assembly to ensure that they have adequate resources to respond to storms like this going forward.

Wray said the state has a very good open dialogue with senior Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) leadership and the regional headquarters.

He also noted that the state has a FEMA Integration Team from different parts of their agency that works daily with the state, along with some specialists from the National Hurricane Center who are also embedded with the state’s weather team on a day-to-day basis.

The state has also been in contact with the EPA, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the Coast Guard to look for abandoned vessels that could lead to hazardous materials in waterways and support life safety missions.

NCDOT Secretary Joey Hopkins said the state is currently involved with studies being conducted by some state educational institutions and the local governments, looking to make NC-12 more viable and resilient to storms, potentially relocating to a higher area.

The post Stein holds press briefing on preparing for Hurricane Erin first appeared on Carolina Journal.

The post Stein holds press briefing on preparing for Hurricane Erin appeared first on First In Freedom Daily.