Evacuations and Closures Ordered as Hurricane Irene Approaches the Southeast U.S. Coast

As of 5 a.m., the National Weather Service has issued a hurricane watch for the North Carolina coast from north of Surf City on Topsail Island to the North Carolina - Virginia border including the Pamlico, Albemarle and Currituck Sounds. A tropical storm watch has been issued from north of Edisto Beach, South Carolina to Surf City, North Carolina. Irene is a massive and powerful storm that is expected to impact much of the U.S. East Coast, including North Carolina, Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic states, as well as the Northeast.

In anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Irene, mandatory evacuation orders and closures have been ordered in North Carolina. Visitors to affected areas should heed all warnings and remember to take all personal belongings with them if they are evacuated. Many areas require re-entry passes, available only to residents, for several days once the storm has passed. North Carolina evacuations and closures include:

• Hyde County - A state of emergency was declared for Ocracoke Island and the Hyde County mainland effective 5 a.m. Wednesday, August 24, 2011. A mandatory evacuation was issued for all non-residents / tourists / visitors of Ocracoke and Hyde County as of 5 a.m. on Wednesday. A mandatory evacuation for everyone in Ocracoke and the Hyde County mainland begins at 5 a.m., Thursday, August 25, 2011...read more
  
  
• Dare County - The Dare County Control Group has ordered a mandatory evacuation for all visitors throughout all of Dare County effective 8 a.m., Thursday, August 25. Further evacuations should be anticipated as Irene moves closer to the Outer Banks...read more
  
  
• Cape Hatteras National Seashore - National Park Service Visitor Centers, Attractions, Campgrounds and Beaches closed until further notice on Wednesday, August 24, 2011...read more
  
  
• Cape Lookout National Seashore - Evacuate all visitors from the National Seashore begin Thursday morning, August 25, 2011 and the seashore will be closed to all visitors (including overnight guests staying in the cabins and day visitors) and all services will be shut down, beginning at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 25, 2011 until further notice...read more

Visitors to other areas along the East Coast should stay informed about local advisories and check Hurricane Irene Weather Advisories before traveling.

Related Information

• Facebook / National Weather Service
  
• Twitter / National Weather Service (Atlantic)
  
• Facebook / NC Emergency Management
  
• Twitter / NC Emergency Management
  
• Facebook / VA Department of Emergency Management
  
• Twitter / VA Department of Emergency Management

<sup>Photo by NOAA via Getty Images

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