Mandatory Evacuation of Outer Banks Ordered as Hurricane Earl Approaches

Dare County, North Carolina, officials issued an expanded mandatory evacuation order Thursday morning for all tourists to leave the county in preparation for Hurricane Earl. On Wednesday, the county issued an evacuation order for the approximately 30,000 tourists and residents of Hatteras Island. Dare County includes the Outer Banks.

The town of Nags Head has issued a mandatory evacuation for everyone on South Nags Head as extensive flooding and wind damage is expected there by Friday morning. All county schools and courts are closed Thursday and Friday in preparation for Earl.

Hurricane Earl remains a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 145 miles per hour, with gusts of over 175. NOAA predictions expect that Earl will brush the Outer Banks overnight but are not ruling out the possibility of landfall in North Carolina. Even if the hurricane does not make landfall, hurricane-force winds will extend 90 miles out from the center of the storm and tropical storm-force winds will reach out for 230 miles. Climatologists are watching Earl's path closely, as any further shifting to the west will send the storm's eye wall over the Outer Banks, which will cause further structural damage and flooding.

According to NOAA experts, the storm surge from Hurricane Earl can reach 2-to-4 feet in North Carolina, which will cause extensive flooding in the Outer Banks. A disaster declaration was signed by President Obama Wednesday, which allows FEMA and other federal agencies to assist North Carolina's state resources after the hurricane has passed.

The residents of the Outer Banks are no strangers to hurricanes. North Carolina ranks fourth after Florida, Texas and Louisiana for the number of hurricanes affecting the state. The last major hurricane to hit North Carolina was Hurricane Fran in 1996, which made landfall at Cape Fear and caused $3.2 billion in damage. The North Carolina State Climatology Office reports that tropical cyclones make direct landfall in the state on average every four years. Cape Hatteras is the most commonly affected location.

Not all Outer Banks residents are heeding the warnings about the power of Hurricane Earl. Many residents have been through many storms and feel they are safe in their homes, even if they are cut off from the mainland for several days.

Hurricane Earl's path after its encounter with the North Carolina coast is expected to take the storm into New York and Massachusetts, and ultimately into Nova Scotia. Once the hurricane encounters cooler waters, it is expected to slow but may still hit the northeast states as a Category 2 hurricane.

Sources:
Evacuation Order Expanded in Dare County
State Climate Office- North Carolina