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NC warnings aim to move vulnerable away from Earl

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  • GARY D. ROBERTSON/None
  • Originally published September 1, 2010 at 12:56 p.m., updated September 1, 2010 at 7:39 p.m.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - State and local governments moved to protect the North Carolina coast's most vulnerable people Wednesday, announcing evacuations and school closings as Hurricane Earl swept toward the Outer Banks.

Three counties urged tourists, residents or those with medical problems to leave for safer ground. The North Carolina National Guard activated 81 soldiers and airmen to prepare to support emergency operations if help is needed.

Gov. Beverly Perdue declared a state of emergency, allowing North Carolina to apply for federal money to help with hurricane cleanup. She urged coastal residents and vacationers to treat the storm with respect because a small shift to the west in Earl's predicted offshore track could mean significant damage.

"My message for the people of North Carolina is a simple one - it's to be prepared," she said. "Be ready, because none of us can tell what's going to happen."

Perdue also sent a letter to President Barack Obama requesting a federal pre-landfall emergency declaration in anticipation of damages. If approved, the declaration would allow North Carolina to gain federal support for use of the National Guard and other personnel.

Winds from Earl are expected to reach the coast Thursday night into Friday morning.

Tourists and some residents on barrier islands were ordered to evacuate Wednesday. Ferries carried people from Hyde County's Ocracoke Island.

In Dare County, an early order for tourists to leave jammed the only highway from Hatteras Island back to the North Carolina mainland with hundreds of cars. Hours later, residents in seven island towns also were told to leave - bringing the total evacuation order to about 30,000 people.

The ordered affected people in Rodanthe, Avon, Waves, Salvo, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras.

County spokeswoman Dorothy Toolan said those who choose not to leave the island are being advised they will need to prepare to go without services for up to 72 hours after the dangerous storm passed. "What we can do is keep letting people know of the threat and encourage them to evacuate," she said.

Carteret County schools were to close Thursday and Friday and residents and visitors on Bogue Banks were being told to leave the barrier island starting Thursday morning, said county Emergency Services Director Jo Ann Smith.

The order includes villages from Emerald Isle to Atlantic Beach. Smith didn't know exactly how many people were on the island.

The Red Cross also has announced it will be running nine shelters in four eastern counties.

Carteret County officials and county mayors said they wanted residents of low-lying areas or those in manufactured homes to leave. A pet-friendly shelter was to open at noon Thursday at a middle school in Newport.

A separate shelter was to open early Thursday for people who need oxygen, electricity or have other medical problems that could put them at risk if power is lost and roads are closed.

In Currituck County, people in a coastal community reachable only by four-wheel drive vehicles won't be required to evacuate. The 12-mile-long area known as Carova has about 800 homes and about 100 full-time residents.

"It could be a day or two before we get that beach road open - they could certainly be stranded," said County Manager Dan Scanlon.

Officials decided against evacuating because Earl is forecast to head north before strongly affecting the area, Scanlon said.

People were being telephoned and urged to leave, and many tourists were seen making the 30-minute drive along the beach to the nearest paved road, he said.

The governor said she hoped Labor Day vacationers asked to leave and boaters forced into port would return after the storm passes. The long holiday weekend is a big moneymaker for coastal businesses and the state's tax coffers.

"With any kind of luck, we can put those boats back in the water on Friday morning so it won't interrupt a wonderful holiday weekend," said Perdue, who lives in coastal New Bern.

___

Associated Press Writer Emery P. Dalesio contributed to this report.


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