Hurricane Erin sent a powerful tide surging into North Carolina’s Outer Banks this week, prompting road closures and dozens of water rescues, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The state’s department of transportation announced on X the evening of Aug. 20 that Highway 12 was closed after rising water cut off access to Ocracoke Island’s ferry terminal. Photos the department shared showed the highway filled with floodwater and sand.
FOX 9 News reported that North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said in an Aug. 20 press conference that he had declared a state of emergency the day before to ensure that the state receives critical resources. Stein said the state had already pre-positioned three swift-water rescue teams and 200 National Guard troops along the coast.
A spokesperson for Wrightsville Beach, which is near Wilmington, told FOX Weather that rescue crews carried out nearly 60 water rescues Aug. 18 and another 20 the following day as rip currents intensified.
Video shared online Aug. 20 showed floodwaters rushing through the Outer Banks even during low tide. Several stilted homes along the shoreline stood in the surf’s path.
According to ABC News, waves could reach up to 17 feet from the Outer Banks to New York and 20 feet in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine Aug. 21 and 22.
As of midday Aug. 21, Erin remained a Category 2 storm with winds near 100 mph about 205 miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, which is in the Outer Banks, according to the hurricane center.
Tropical storm warnings were in effect along parts of the North Carolina and Virginia coasts, ABC News reported.
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Author: Elise Winland
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