OUTER BANKS, N.C. (WAVY) — Tropical Storm Isaias is expected to strike the Carolinas as a minimal hurricane and residents are bracing for impact.
As of 10 p.m. Monday night, the rain still had not started.
Following a 3 p.m. Monday press briefing, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper warned residents to be prepared for a lot of rain “as much as seven inches in some places” along with possible storm surge and flooding.
Cooper reminded residents to listen to local officials and follow evacuation orders when they are issued. The NCDOT helped get 3,500 people off Ocracoke Island by Monday night. Most of the visitors in Hatteras were also gone as of Monday afternoon.
“The most important thing is to get out of harm’s way if you are told to evacuate. Try to have a plan to stay with friends or family outside the danger zone.”
Officials said during the briefing that 150 soldiers with the North Carolina National Guard were activated and standing by in six forward locations. They also said that power companies were expecting widespread outages.
Residents in Outer Banks soaked up some last-minute sun Monday before Isaias was expected to roll through.
NCDOT officials say all highway divisions are prepared and ready to respond to with over 1,800 personnel and 1,550 pieces of equipment.
Avon resident Eli Thompson is hoping Isaias doesn’t spike the Outer Banks.
“As a local, you are never really concerned for your own personal health but it’s just a matter of taking care of your property,” Thompson said.
On mainland Dare County, people plan to stay put, but stay alert to the storm’s path.
Those who have decided to ride out the storm were at the store stocking up, like Baltimore resident Dennis Settle.
“We are going to have hamburgers and hot dogs and beans and we’ve been going fancy for a while we have some corona,” Settle said.
Time ran out for storm preparations by Monday night, leaving only time to wait for Isaias to land in the Outer Banks.
“You never know. We’ve been hit with worse surprises, so there really is no amount of over-preparations that you can do,” Thompson said.
