North Carolina's Hatteras community is carrying the worst of Hurricane Irene, coastal areas hit with 90+ wind gusts and storm surges as high as 8.5 feet.
Currently, Irene's eye is red and bloody slamming the Hatteras community in North Carolina. It's been three years since a hurricane hit the US coast. Irene hit Cape Lookout at 7:30 a.m. and her damage is widespread, from flooding, downed trees, power lines and power outages. Homes and streets are underwater and there is no possibility that certain highways will reopen until the storm subsides
Downgraded to a Category 1, Hurricane Irene has left Carteret, NC completely under water. Houses along Shore Drive, Salter Path are flooded. The Weather Channel devoted a Twitter account specifically for Hurricane Irene. Activity got strong just before 7 a.m. Saturday as Hurricane Irene approached Cape Lookout.
Sustained winds in Beaufort, NC are a reported 65 mph with wind gusts of 77 mph. In Jacksonville, wind gusts hit 94 mph with sustained winds of 80 mph.
91,000 North Carolina customers are without power. 14,000 with Virginia based utility company don't have power. The end of the Sheraton Atlantic Beach Pier collapsed into the ocean after winds struck. Winds have been reported as high as 80 mph on the NC beach coast.
At 7 a.m. Highway 17 in the Ernul area of Craven, NC was closed because of downed trees and power lines. A 3 foot storm surge caused a water backup on East Front Street and carried over to Broad Street. All lanes of US-64 were closed in both directions east of Columbia. 64 isn't expected to reopen until the weather subsides.
A little before 7:30 a.m. the threat level was updated to extreme on the outer banks of North Carolina through Boston. Hot spots were North Carolina beach and island communities, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Annapolis, Jersey Shore, Long Island, Boston and New York. Extreme impacts are one level below "catastrophic" even with a Category 1 rating.
Just after 7:30 a.m. Cape Lookout was hit as Irene made landfall there. In Cedar Island, NC, meteorologists recorded 90 mph winds with gusts of 110 mph.
Meanwhile, North Harlow, NC experienced storm surges as high as 8.5 feet. Emerald Isle's Bogue Inlet Pier is absorbing heavy damages from Hurricane Irene's arrival this morning. And 6 to 7 feet water levels reported at Fairfield Harbor, 3 miles east of New Bern, NC.
Yesterday, all visitors residing in the resort beach areas were ordered to evacuate North Carolina,. Many travelers headed home, up north, just ahead of the storm's path. Hyde, NC's Highway 12 was reported "impassable" from the airport's north side due to overwash.
TWC Hurricane Irene tweeted just before 8:30 a.m.: "This is not just a hurricane w/ coastal impacts. Locations 75 miles inland have been reporting sustained tropical storm-force winds in NC."
photo courtesy Twitter
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