Latest news with #DareCounty
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Hurricane season heats up; danger possible at East Coast beaches
If you're headed to beaches along the East Coast over the Aug. 9 weekend, remain alert for possibly dangerous swimming conditions as a result of disturbed weather offshore. Even without a named tropical storm directly at the coast, waves and swells from distant storms hundreds of miles away can create life-threatening conditions in the water and at the beach. There's plenty happening offshore or nearshore as of Aug. 7 that could make conditions rough in the water, and that may continue through the weekend, said Erik Heden, a warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Newport/Morehead City, North Carolina. "Love the beach and respect the ocean," Heden said, borrowing a phrase from Dare County on North Carolina's Outer Banks. On Aug. 7, the National Hurricane Center was watching an area of disturbed weather off the Southeast Coast that had about a 20% chance of developing into a tropical storm and a tropical wave that had emerged off the west African coast showed potential for development. Marine forecasters also were still watching Dexter, the former tropical storm about 1,000 miles east of Cape Cod. And the full moon on Aug. 9 could add to the effect of rip currents and waves. Waters from North Carolina to Long Island could hold a moderate to high risk of rip currents on August 7 and 8, and possibly further into the weekend, Heden said. "Anytime you get ocean storms, whether they be full tropical cyclones or strong areas of low pressure, or an onshore flow you can get rip currents." Rip currents are narrow, powerful currents of water that can form perpendicular to the beach and flow quickly away. They can be powerful enough to carry even strong swimmers away from shore. Unlike thunderstorms and lightning that you can see and hear, Heden said rip currents aren't as obvious and can occur days before or after a storm. Rip currents, rough surf and other strong currents – even at beaches not on the ocean – kill dozens of people in the United States and territories each year. As of July 17, the National Weather Service had reported at least 25 deaths this year from rip currents, including 10 in Florida, six in Puerto Rico, three in Texas, two each in South Carolina and Hawaii and one each in Guam and North Carolina. Another two dozen fatalities have occurred in the surf zone so far this year, including seven attributed to high surf and sneaker waves, the weather service has reported. Storms can be fatal even when they don't make landfall. In 2019, as Hurricane Lorenzo moved northward off the Atlantic Coast, "we lost eight people from Florida up through Rhode Island," he said. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, parent agency to the weather service, and others have worked to emphasize the risk of rip currents and how to stay safer while recreating outdoors. For example, earlier this year, the National Hurricane Center launched a rip current graphic to illustrate the dangers associated with tropical storms, even when they're long distances away. Over a 10-year period, about 10-15% of all deaths in tropical storms and hurricanes were attributed to rip currents, the hurricane center said. Earlier this year, NOAA launched a new public safety campaign "Blue IQ" focused on hazards in the surf. Staying safe in a rip current One of the singlemost important things to remember about a rip current is that it doesn't pull a swimmer under, it pulls you out away from the beach. So, staying calm and remembering to swim parallel to the beach can help you escape the rip and save your life, advises Heden and many others. One of the newer pressing concerns is an increase in deaths from bystanders who try to help people caught up in rip currents, Heden said. He offers the following additional points for rip current safety. Swim at a life-guarded beach. Always know your location when you're at the beach, so you could tell 911 operators. If someone is caught in a rip current, call 911 immediately. Instead of going in after someone, give them directions from shore, or throw them a floatation device Know the forecast before you get in the water How can you spot a rip current? Heden and the weather service offer the following ways to help identify rip currents: More common near low tide and jetties or piers. Often found in areas where it may look like a good place to swim because waves aren't breaking there. Water might be darker in color, or have a line of debris moving away from shore. Easier to spot from an elevated viewpoint such as a beach access. Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, writes about climate change, violent weather and other news. Reach her at dpulver@ or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Forecasters warn of dangerous beach conditions amid hurricane season
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Outer Banks EMT bitten by venomous snake while walking dog
NAGS HEAD, Va. (WAVY) — A Dare Country EMT is recovering after being bitten by a venomous snake last weekend. Ethan White told 10 On Your Side he was walking his dog with his fiancée on a trail in Nags Head Woods Preserve last Saturday morning when it happened. 'I like, kind of went off the trail to tie my shoe, and I bent over and never saw it until I was bitten on the hand, and I kind of like, staggered backwards,' White said. 'It's kind of like when you cut yourself with a sharp knife. You don't notice it, [then] it'll start throbbing later.' White snapped a picture of the snake, which doctors believe is a cottonmouth. His fiancée rushed him over to the nearby hospital, where a long road to recovery officially began. He said he initially had an allergic reaction to the type of antivenom they gave him, so they had to take a different approach. 'They sent me to Norfolk, and where I got, I think, four treatments of CroFab, which is another type of antivenom,' White said. 'There, I did two days in the ICU (intensive care unit) and one day in a med surg unit, and I got released.' The advanced EMT and former volunteer firefighter is usually on the other end of these types of situations. He is now been at home working to get better since the bite, and is seeing a hand specialist Friday to figure out a treatment plan going forward 'At the moment, I can articulate the base joint, and then the rest of it doesn't really move,' White said. 'Depending on what they find there will be whether or not we go in for surgery, or we kind of let it run its course.' His mom started a for the first responder as he works through this time. It's raised over $12,000 so far, and White said he is grateful for the support. 'The community has really come together and really helped me and my family out a lot during this process,' White said. 'So, I don't have enough words to say thank you,' White said. He is currently studying to become a paramedic, but he said this snake bite won't slow him down. 'I will say one of our chiefs has one less a finger, and he does his job to a T,' White said. 'So I'm sure if worse comes to worst, I lost a finger, I'd probably still be able to find ways to do the job.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Yahoo
After an Outer Banks home exploded and was engulfed in flames, 1 airlifted to treatment
MANTEO, N.C. — A person on Friday afternoon was airlifted to Norfolk General Hospital with injuries sustained from a house explosion and ensuing fire in a neighborhood on the north end of Roanoke Island. First responders from the Roanoke Island Volunteer Fire Department, the Dare County Sheriff's Office and Dare County EMS responded to numerous 911 calls by 3:15 p.m. Units, which responded from Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Manns Harbor and Colington were able to control the fire from spreading into neighboring woods within the hour and continued to work to control hot spots through the evening. The house was fully engulfed, and three vehicles and one boat were also destroyed. Another house was minorly damaged. No other injuries were reported. Officials said the site was finally cleared at 9:15 p.m. The Dare County Fire Marshal's Office and Sheriff's Office are conducting an investigation, which is expected to continue through next week, with assistance from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the state fire marshal. Kate Seltzer,
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Duck Fire Department investigates house fire on Four Seasons Lane
DUCK, N.C. (WAVY) — The Duck Fire Department is investigating a house fire on Four Seasons Lane that occurred overnight on Saturday. Crews were dispatched to a structure fire in the 100 block of Four Seasons Lane at approximately 12:45 a.m. Upon arrival, they observed a home heavily engulfed in flames. The occupants were able to safely evacuate the structure, but officials did not say how many people were displaced. The fire department thanked their mutual aid partners from Kitty Hawk, Southern Shores, Corolla, Dare County EMS and the Duck Police Department for their assistance during the operation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Experts warn of unstoppable force swallowing homes along the coast: 'They have no incentive to remove that house'
The Outer Banks of North Carolina offer some of the greatest oceanfront property in the United States, but erosion is wiping out homes one by one. Since May 2020, 11 houses in Rodanthe on Hatteras Island have collapsed into the Atlantic, the Island Free Press reported. In a video by Dare County, titled Erosion in Rodanthe: The Fight to Protect the Outer Banks, officials detail the problem and potential solutions. "The beach in Rodanthe, while it was eroding, it was relatively stable, and it was wide," Dare County manager Bobby Outten said. "It isn't until recent years that the erosion rate there seemed to have increased rapidly." Historically, houses have collapsed because of significant storms. But that is not what happened to all 10 of the homes that were washed away over the last four years. As many as 20 more could be gone in the next two years. The video notes that the Rodanthe beach is eroding by over 10 feet annually and that Highway 12, the only road linking towns along the Outer Banks, is also at risk. The destruction of these homes creates hazards for people and wildlife as far away as 20 miles and pollutes the environment with debris. Homeowners have been unwilling to relocate their homes because of a lack of options and the cost; they also prefer to collect flood insurance money after their houses have collapsed and pay for the cleanup instead of tearing them down proactively, according to the video. "They have no incentive to remove that house," Outten said. Government officials have looked into beach nourishment projects, which have been successful on beaches to the north, but Outten said the $40 million price tag from three years ago was prohibitive. The National Park Service via a pilot program bought out two homeowners and removed those houses before they dangerously collapsed, and there were others interested, WUNC reported in 2023. Do you think your house could withstand a hurricane? No way Maybe a weak one I'm not sure It definitely could Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "We were able to acquire those structures and demolish them and completely restore the beach area approximately a year ago," National Parks of Eastern North Carolina Superintendent Dave Hallac said in the Dare County video. "And now when you go out to those locations, you have no idea there was ever a house there; there's a beautiful, pristine, open beach; and all of the impacts that were occurring there before have been eliminated." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
