'We are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst,' Gov. Cooper says as Dorian nears
Gov. Roy Cooper on Sunday said all North Carolina residents should be prepared to take action as Hurricane Dorian, now a Category 5 storm, could threaten the Carolinas later this week.
"We are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst," he said during a Sunday session with reporters. "Right now, it's fierce storm and North Carolina will likely see heavy rains, winds and flooding. I urge everyone to take it seriously. The time to prepare is now."
Dorian slammed into the Bahamas around midday Sunday with sustained winds near 180 mph, the strongest on record to hit the northwestern archipelago, leaving residents scrambling to find shelter as they braced for rising waters and torrential rains.
Cooper said he spoke Sunday to the governor of South Carolina and President Trump to update them on North Carolina's efforts to prepare fo the storm.
The governor issued a State of Emergency for all 100 North Carolina counties, which will allows state resources to be mobilized andallows state and local governments to seek federal aid.
Cooper said he has approved two waivers that allow large utility vehicles to move throughout the state and another one that allows farmers to use heavier trucks to move their crops out of the field.
Cooper said residents should have a stockpile of food and water that can "last for days," if the storm knocks power out to parts of the state.
"North Carolina has to take this storm seriously," he said. "Be ready. It might be far away but it is already kicking up rip tides at our coast."
Mike Sprayberry, the state director of Emergency Management, said officials have begun preparing for mass shelter and feeding operations.
Dorian strengthened to a Category 5 on Sunday before it made landfall. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center called it “catastrophic” and warned that its “extreme winds and storm surge will continue for several hours.”
This is a region that prides itself on withstanding powerful storms, but Dorian brings greater dangers than most. The storm’s slow pace and the low-lying islands’ vulnerability to flooding added to the concerns.
“A prolonged period of life-threatening storm surge, devastating hurricane-force winds and heavy rains are capable of producing life-threatening flash floods,” the center said.
The core of the hurricane was expected to move slowly over the Abaco Islands and toward the Great Bahama Island. Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said on Saturday that 73,000 residents and 21,000 homes would be affected.
The current forecast track has it skirting up the coast of the Eastern Seaboard, and it could bring winds, flooding and heavy downpours to coastal North Carolina.
