Ocracoke Island resident Leslie Lanier says some residents on the thin strip of land on North Carolina's coast have had to climb into their attics because of high water from Hurricane Dorian.
Lanier said via text message Friday morning that some first floors have been flooded. But she added that the water level has started to drop. Lanier owns a bookstore on the Outer Banks island. She said she's OK but "nervous and worried."
Dorian came ashore Friday morning at Cape Hatteras on North Carolina's Outer Banks.
At the start of the week, the storm slammed the Bahamas, killing at least 30 people and obliterating countless homes. From there, it swept past Florida and Georgia before sideswiping the Carolinas on Thursday with tornadoes that peeled away roofs and flipped recreational vehicles.
We are ok on Ocracoke. There has been a lot of flooding and we can't assess it yet. It is a huge mess but it will be cleaned up. #Ocracoke #HurricaneDorian
— Leslie Lanier (@BooksToBeRed) September 6, 2019
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper says hundreds are stranded on Ocracoke Island as Hurricane Dorian moves up the U.S. East Coast. Cooper told reporters Friday morning that rescue teams are ready as soon as they can move in. He says local authorities are telling people to get to the highest point in their home.
Dorian came ashore Friday morning at Cape Hatteras on North Carolina's Outer Banks.
At the start of the week, the storm slammed the Bahamas, killing at least 30 people and obliterating countless homes. From there, it swept past Florida and Georgia before sideswiping the Carolinas on Thursday with tornadoes that peeled away roofs and flipped recreational vehicles.
Updated 9:35 a.m.
Ocracoke Island resident Leslie Lanier says the North Carolina island in the Outer Banks is "flooding like crazy" as Hurricane Dorian rakes the Carolinas.
Lanier said by text message Friday morning that the water is in homes on the island and she expects the water to keep rising.
She said she's safe for the time being, but added that she has been on Ocracoke for 32 years and not seen anything like this. Lanier owns a bookshop on the island at the southern end of the Outer Banks. She moved books and gifts off the ground in anticipation of the storm, which made landfall Friday morning at Cape Hatteras.
Ocracoke Island now. Rapidly rising water due to storm surge off the Pamlico Sound. Seek higher ground immediately, Ocracoke Island, Hatteras Village, etc.
— NWS Newport/Morehead (@NWSMoreheadCity) September 6, 2019
Pic credit: Amy Howard. pic.twitter.com/fZNvN21SWk
Updated 9 a.m.
Hurricane Dorian has come ashore at Cape Hatteras on North Carolina's Outer Banks, marking its first U.S. landfall since it slammed into the Bahamas days ago.
Dorian sideswiped most of the Southeast seaboard from Florida to Carolinas in recent days before its eye made landfall Friday morning.
At 9 a.m. EDT, the storm's center was moving northeast at 14 mph.
On Thursday, Dorian raked the Carolina coast with howling winds and heavy rain, spinning off tornadoes and knocking out power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Dorian is expected to accelerate as it moves off extreme southeastern New England sometime Friday night and early Saturday before a weekend approach to Nova Scotia in Canada.
Updated 8:05 a.m.
Hurricane Dorian's center is near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, as it continues its crawl up the East Coast.
The storm's maximum sustained winds Friday morning are near 90 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm is centered about 10 miles west-southwest of Cape Hatteras and is moving northeast near 14 mph.
Dorian hammered the Bahamas earlier this week, killing at least 30 people. But it swept past Florida at a relatively safe distance, grazed Georgia, and then hugged the South Carolina-North Carolina coastline. At least four deaths in the Southeast have been blamed on the storm.
The storm's strong winds and heavy rains early Friday knocked out power to about 194,000 homes and businesses in North Carolina. NC Emergency Management reports 200,000 outages remain in South Carolina after Dorian scraped that state's coast Thursday. Authorities haven't reported any major damage, but were waiting for daylight to make a more comprehensive assessment.
The center of the storm has remained off the North Carolina coast. A weather station on Cape Lookout recorded winds of 75 mph as the eye of Dorian passes less than 10 miles away.
