Hurricane Isaias causes flooding, tornadoes, fires and power outages in NC
Flooding, power outages and possible tornadoes were reported across Eastern North Carolina after Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach just after 11 p.m. Monday.
At least two people died and several were injured when a suspected tornado hit a mobile home park in Bertie County, according to media outlets and Gov. Roy Cooper in an interview Tuesday with “Good Morning America.” Cooper said a “search and rescue team” is working at the site.
Three people — an adult and two children — are also missing, Bertie County Commissioner Ronald Wesson told ABC11.
The storm damaged up to 20 mobile homes and injured several people in the county, WRAL reported.
At least five suspected tornadoes were reported in North Carolina, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center. That includes two in Brunswick County, two in Bertie County and one in Hertford County. Trees were downed and buildings were damaged, NOAA reported.
The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado around 2:30 a.m. in Northampton County, near the Virginia state line. Damage in the area was not yet reported.
More than 278,000 power outages were reported across the state late Tuesday morning, including more than 71,000 in coastal New Hanover County and 37,000 in Brunswick County.
Flash flooding remains a threat along the Interstate 95 corridor, after up to 4 inches of rain fell overnight and an additional inch is expected, according to the National Weather Service.
“While the heaviest rain is exiting the area, streams and creeks will continue to run high for at least the next couple hours,” the forecasters said.
At 8 a.m., the storm was north of the Virginia state line and moving north, still at tropical storm strength, the National Hurricane Center says.
Ocean Isle Beach, where landfall occurred, saw pounding rain and flooding, and fires erupted as the storm passed.
The fires began around 11 p.m., as 3 feet of water washed across streets, according to WECT. As many as five homes caught fire on two different streets, WWAY reported. Most were unoccupied at the time, the station said.
Isaias was at hurricane strength when it made landfall, with winds of 85 mph and gusts of 87 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported.
Videos shared on social media show the storm sent knee-deep water washing down the streets of Oak Island, covering roads in sand that stalled cars for blocks.
The waters were blamed for taking “vehicles blocks away from their parking lots,” MyFox8.com reported. “I was just looking out the window because we saw the neighbor’s cars floating so I looked out the back window and saw my jeep floating away,” Sherry Lee of Morganton told the station.
Southport police say the city has extended a curfew until 7 p.m. Tuesday, after the storm made roads impassable. “Multiple roads citywide (are) littered with trees, electric wires, propane tanks, etc,” the department reported.
The Southport Fire Department says the town’s waterfront also has “extensive damage” and poses a safety concern. “Please do not get on the roads,” the department posted on Facebook.
Flash flood warnings have also been issued in multiple communities.
A storm surge warning remains in effect for the Pamlico and Albemarle sounds, and the Neuse and Pamlico rivers, and storm surge remains a threat in Ocracoke Inlet on the Outer Banks, according to the National Hurricane Center.
“There is the danger of life-threatening storm surge inundation along portions of the immediate coastline and adjacent waterways of the North Carolina coast, including portions of Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds,” the National Hurricane Center says.
This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 5:44 AM with the headline "Hurricane Isaias causes flooding, tornadoes, fires and power outages in NC."
