The North Carolina Department of Transportation is helping with evacuations along the coast, checking emergency supplies and readying equipment and personnel ahead of Hurricane Dorian.
North Carolina is expected to begin feeling the effects of the storm’s heavy rainfall and dangerous winds as early as Wednesday night.
Governor Roy Cooper on Tuesday issued a mandatory state evacuation order for vulnerable coastal areas. The order applies to barrier islands on the coast. The governor is urging people to follow the forecast, heed the advice of local emergency officials and make immediate preparations.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation has started readying its supplies, such as chain saws, high water signs and other barricades, and assigning employees to be prepared to clear roads of fallen trees and make emergency repairs.
Below is a rundown of the department’s storm preparations:
Ferries
The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division is assisting with Hyde County’s mandatory evacuation for visitors of Ocracoke Island. The division had evacuated 984 passengers and transported 498 vehicles from Ocracoke Island between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tuesday. The Ferry Division will help evacuate Ocracoke Island residents starting at 5 a.m. Wednesday. The ferries serving Ocracoke will be suspended Wednesday afternoon.
Highways
NCDOT staff in all 100 counties have readied supplies for road clearing efforts, shoulder repairs and pipe replacements that can be made quickly following Hurricane Dorian. They also have fueled vehicles and cleared storm drainage catch basins of any debris. A total of 2,415 NCDOT employees across all 14 highway divisions are ready to respond. The agency is shifting some of its resources to the coast and eastern North Carolina where they may be needed most.
Aviation
NCDOT is readying flight teams and charging batteries to deploy drones and capture images and video of flooding and other damage after Dorian has passed. The department will share the images with federal, state and local authorities, so they can monitor conditions in real time and help keep the traveling public safe.
As a reminder, people should not fly drones before, during or after a major event, because doing so could interfere with emergency respond operations.
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