Officials Order Evacuations as Hurricane Erin Threatens to Isolate North Carolina's Outer Banks
Mother Nature is probably going to win this week. Hurricane Erin is forecast to move hundreds of miles offshore from the islands but the massive storm is still sending waves 20 feet (6 meters) or greater crashing over vulnerable sand dunes.
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
North Carolina Beach Towns Brace for a Surge of Dangerous Seas
Gov. Josh Stein of North Carolina declared a state of emergency on Tuesday as the outer bands of Hurricane Erin inched closer to the state, increasing the likelihood of life-threatening rip currents this week. 'To folks on the coast, now is the time to prepare,' Mr. Stein wrote on social media. 'Check your emergency kits, make sure you have emergency alerts turned on, and listen to emergency guidance in case you need to evacuate.' The state's emergency management agency said that storm surge, or the abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, could reach as high as four feet on Wednesday. Portions of the Outer Banks in North Carolina are under a mandatory evacuation order, and officials have warned that some roads could remain impassable for days. By Tuesday afternoon, many tourists had already hopped on a ferry and fled places like Ocracoke, a small coastal community that is reachable only by boat. Farther south, on beaches near Wilmington, the sun was shining, and there were still plenty of people enjoying the last dribbles of good weather. People played music and read on the sand, even as lifeguards remained on high alert. In Wrightsville Beach, about 70 people had to be rescued on Monday from dangerous rip currents generated by swells from Hurricane Erin. Officials have warned residents not to swim in the area until at least Friday. 'It's like a perfect storm,' Sam Proffitt, the town's ocean rescue director, said in an interview on Tuesday. 'The weather is nice. It doesn't look super choppy. People just see waves, but it generates a lot of rips.' Aidan Kratt, 22, who works at Sweetwater Surf Shop near Wrightsville Beach, said that while he surfed on Monday for about 15 minutes, he saw lifeguards rescue at least three people who had been sucked far from shore by powerful currents. As he rested on his board in the surf, Mr. Kratt said he saw a woman's head bobbing above the water far from him, appearing to struggle. 'I could tell she was a little tired, and there was already a no-swim advisory red flag, so I just helped her back, just in case,' Mr. Kratt said. 'You can just get pulled out in two minutes and not even really know it.' She hung onto his board as he paddled them to shore. Jerry Slayton, a manager at Cavalier Surf Shop in Nags Head, a beach town in the Outer Banks, said many locals didn't appear too concerned about the storm quite yet, based on the forecast as of Tuesday. 'I just hope it doesn't flood too much,' he said as he closed up shop, after a day of serving customers who were eager to buy the right gear for increasingly powerful waves. 'It's pretty good out there, so the surfers are happy,' Mr. Slayton added. 'The tourists are a little bummed.' Michael Levenson contributed reporting.
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Hundreds of homes in northwest Indiana flooded during heavy storms
Homeowners in northwest Indiana were cleaning up Tuesday, after heavy storms on Monday caused water to overflow from the sewer system into their basements. Every few seconds in Hammond, spurts of water pour out of the basement Paulina Reillo and her husband finished only a year ago, as they pump out water that flooded it Monday night. "Our dining room table, chairs, the couch for sure, all of the cabinets," all got wet during the storm. No one expects their home to flood, but Reillo said she was really surprised, because they paid to seal their basement, along with other measures, to make sure this wouldn't happen. "Those little gutters and everything to direct the water away from the house," she said. "We've got our sump pump in there." At least 200 homes across Hammond were dealing with similar messes on Tuesday. Intense rain on Monday night created a headache for people on the roads, too. Theodore Coules said he got stuck as water began to rise not far from the Indiana Toll Road. Coules flew his drone to assess the situation, and decided to stay put to stay safe. Mother Nature didn't spare St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in nearby Whiting, either. The banquet hall took on at least an inch of water after its sump pump failed. "We've taken great lengths to make this hall water-tight. We re-did the drainage back in 2019 from the roof on down, and it really solved most of the seepage problems, but some things you can't expect or plan for, like when a breaker breaks," Father Andrew Summerson said. Approximately 400 miles of sewer pipes in northwest Indiana are controlled by the Hammond Sanitary District. Officials said their system is designed to handle 68 million gallons of water when it rains, but 160 million gallons came through during Monday night's storm. That's the most they've had in the past five years. The Hammond Sanitary District offers a program to help prevent basement backups. Homeowners can get reimbursed $2,000 if they get a valve installed that shuts if backflow starts to build up in the sewer system. A licensed plumber must complete the job and file the proper paperwork. The average cost for a project like this is about $3,400 (before reimbursement).
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hurricane Erin tracker: Tropical storm warning issued for N.C. as 'life-threatening' rip currents forecast up the East Coast — see the latest path
Although the storm is expected to stay offshore, it will produce dangerous surf conditions for much of the Atlantic Coast this week, forecasters say. Tropical storm warnings and storm surge warnings have been issued for parts of the Outer Banks in North Carolina and have extended north as Hurricane Erin is expected to bring 'life-threatening' surf and rip currents along much of the East Coast this week, forecasters say. Officials in Dare County, N.C., have already declared a state of emergency and ordered the evacuation of Hatteras Island, where tropical storm conditions and the possibility of life-threatening inundation of water from Erin are expected to have an impact on the barrier islands. According to the National Hurricane Center, the rough surf conditions from the storm could affect the Bahamas, Bermuda and beaches up and down the East Coast during the next several days. Beachgoers in those areas should heed advice from lifeguards and local authorities, the hurricane center said. Erin formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean last week, officially reaching hurricane status on Friday. It is the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season. Where is Hurricane Erin now, and what is its path? As of 5 p.m. ET Tuesday: Erin was located 615 miles southwest of Bermuda and about 615 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, making it a Category 2 storm. It is moving north-northwest at 10 mph. According to the NHC's latest advisory, Erin is expected to increase in forward speed to the north-northwest through tonight, followed by a northeastward motion on Thursday. The computer models show that the center of the storm is expected to pass to the east of the Bahamas today and tonight, and move between Bermuda and the U.S. East Coast on Wednesday and Thursday. Watches and warnings As of 5 p.m. ET Tuesday, these are the advisories in place, according to the NHC: Tropical storm warnings are in effect for: Beaufort Inlet, N.C. to Duck, N.C., including Pamlico and Albemarle sounds. Tropical storm watches are in effect for: Bermuda North of Duck, N.C. to Chincoteague, Va. A storm surge warning is in effect for: Cape Lookout to Duck, N.C. What those watches and warnings mean A storm surge warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, during the next 36 hours in the indicated locations. Tropical storm conditions are expected in portions of the Outer Banks starting late Wednesday, while tropical storm conditions are possible in the watch area north of Duck, N.C. to Cape Charles Light and in Bermuda starting Thursday. Heavy rainfall is possible on the Outer Banks Wednesday night into Thursday, with the potential for 1 to 2 inches. Though Erin is not expected to make direct landfall, swells generated by the storm will affect the Bahamas, Bermuda, the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada during the next several days. 'These rough ocean conditions will likely cause life-threatening surf and rip currents,' the NHC said. What are the chances Erin will intensify? Hurricanes are rated on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, ranging from Category 1 to Category 5, with 5 being the most severe. A storm is considered a major hurricane when it reaches Category 3 strength, with sustained winds of at least 111 mph. Erin reached Category 4 strength on Saturday and again on Monday before weakening. It is currently a Category 2 storm, just below a Category 3, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. "Fluctuations in strength are possible over the next few days," the NHC said. But regardless of status, Erin remains a large hurricane. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles from its center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 230 miles. How is hurricane season shaping up? The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1 and runs through the end of November, has a 50% chance of being above normal. Earlier this month, forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration slightly updated the number of expected storms to 13 to 18 (estimated at 13 to 19 in May), five of which could become major hurricanes (with winds of more than 111 mph). A typical hurricane season averages 14 named storms. We're currently about halfway through this year's Atlantic hurricane season, and as of Friday, Aug. 15, there have been five so far: tropical storms Andrea, Barry, Chantal and Dexter, and now Hurricane Erin.
