The Weather Channel (TWC) currently reports that the eye of Hurricane Earl remains offshore of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. But the state is still being hit with hurricane force rain and winds. TWC shows Earl is expected to affect millions of people on the East Coast as the storm tracks northward.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is warning residents that high water and heavy rainfal may flood many North Caroline roadways along the coast, especially those that run along the outer banks. NCDOT also warns that high winds and flooding may affect travel from US 17 to the east.
Apparently, they’ve closed NC-12 is closed in both directions at the Oregon Inlet Bridge due to storm surges and flooding. So no one’s going to be able to travel south of this point, which includes Cape Hatteras and Ocracoke Island. Please be careful out there!
According to the National Weather Service, here is the three day track map for Hurricane Earl:
Here are links to many East Coast transportation Websites. They may include information on evacuations, road conditions and closures, and ferry service updates:
North Carolina: Evacuations, Road conditions | Southern coast updates on Twitter | Northern coast updates| Outer Banks live cameras
Virginia: Road conditions | VA DOT on Twitter | VA Dept. of Emergency Management
Maryland: Road conditions
New Jersey: Road conditions | NJ Transit updates | Cape May-Lewes Ferry
New York: Road conditions | New York DOT on Twitter | MTA updates
Connecticut: Road conditions | CTDOT on Twitter
Rhode Island: Road conditions | RIDOT on Twitter
Massachusetts: Road conditions | MassDOT on Twitter | Transit updates | Vineyard Ferry updates | Steamship Authority | Hy-Line Cruises updates
Maine: Road conditions
Power Outage Information
North Carolina
Duke Energy | Duke Energy on Twitter
Dominion
Progress Energy | Progress Energy on Twitter
Virginia
Dominion | Dominion on Twitter
Delmarva | Delmarva on Twitter
Maryland
Delmarva | Delmarva on Twitter
New Jersey
Jersey Central
PSE & G | PSE&G on Twitter
Atlantic City Electric | Atlantic City Electric on Twitter
New York
Con Edison
Long Island Power Authority | LIPA on Twitter
Connecticut
Connecticut Light & Power
Rhode Island
National Grid
Maine
Central Maine Power
Bangor Hydro Electric
Local NBC Affiliates – For up to the minute closings, delay and cancellation information
North Carolina
Raleigh/Durham: wncn.com
Greenville/New Bern/Washington: witn.com
Virginia
Norfolk/Portsmouth/Newport News: wavy.com
Maryland
Salisbury: wbaltv.com
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia/Delaware Valley: nbc10.com
New Jersey
North Jersey: wnbc.com
South Jersey: nbc40.net
New York
New York City: wnbc.com
Connecticut
Hartford/New Haven: wvit.com
Rhode Island
Providence: turnto10.com
Massachusetts
Boston: whdh.com
Maine
Bangor: wlbz2.com
Portland: wcsh6.com
This storm is definitely going to affect Labor Day travel plans for some–but let’s face it: does anybody really want to be on Cape Hatteras during a hurricane, or barraged with conditions anywhere close to it? To enjoy time with the family? I highly doubt it.
For those of you interested in purchasing a portable generator in case power is disrupted in your area, this generator:
looks like it might be a good model, although I have no personal experience with it. For safety’s sake, please be sure to follow all manufacturer instructions when using the unit. Portable generators should never be used in an enclosed area (like a garage–and certainly not inside the home!) because the gasses they emit can be toxic.