Date Published: August 31, 2006   

Ernesto lands in North Carolina with heavy rain, winds

AP Photo People sleep in an emergency shelter at Dorothy B. Johnson Elementary school in Wilmington, N.C. on Thursday. Tropical Storm Ernesto dropped heavy rains in the area causing localized flooding as it moved into the Carolinas.

By MIKE BAKER
Associated Press Writer

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) – Tropical Storm Ernesto slogged into North Carolina, capping a day of heavy rain in the eastern part of the state and promising more of the same as it moved north early Friday.

But the system stayed just short of hurricane strength, and though forecasters issued numerous warnings, Ernesto brought no major flooding, few evacuations and no confirmed tornadoes by the time it made landfall and headed inland on a northerly track.

After the center of the storm blew through Kinston, about 75 miles north of Wilmington, one resident said there was some street flooding, but not a lot more.

"It's about quit raining," said Johnny Smith, manager of a sporting goods store. "We're looking pretty good right now. At times, there was heavy rain."

Flood warnings and watches were issued across mostly rural eastern North Carolina, and a tornado watch extended across central-eastern counties and along the Outer Banks.

"The biggest concern is flooded roads – especially at night, it's harder to tell if a road has been washed out or not," state spokeswoman Patty McQuillan said early Friday. "If people don't need to drive, they shouldn't be out there."

Roughly 12 miles of Interstate 40 in Duplin County, about 40 miles west of Wilmington, were closed Friday because of flooding, according to the state Department of Transportation. Near Corolla, flooding and overwash shut down part of N.C. Highway 12, the main road on the Outer Banks.

Continuing rainfall was expected to push the Tar and Neuse rivers over their banks in several eastern towns, McQuillan said.

In Beaufort County, a mandatory evacuation was issued for about 1,500 families, said George Sullivan, director of the county Emergency Management Office. One order was issued Thursday afternoon for an area that typically floods in heavy rain, Sullivan said.

Police were going door-to-door early Friday for another area where drainage is poor, Sullivan said. "Most of them are in bed asleep," he said. "So we're telling them the water's rising, c'mon, let's go while they can still get their cars out."

The National Weather Service recorded 6 to 7 inches of rain in Onslow County by 5 a.m.

Ernesto's sustained winds reached 70 mph, just 4 mph below hurricane strength, as it made landfall at Long Beach, just west of Cape Fear, at 11:30 p.m. Thursday. It dumped more than 8 inches of rain on the Wilmington area – a record for Aug. 31, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm weakened as it moved inland.

At 5 a.m., the center of Ernesto was moving north at nearly 15 mph with maximum sustained winds near 60 mph. The storm was expected to turn to the north and slow down during the next 24 hours, bringing the center farther inland over eastern North Carolina and Virginia during the day.

Even in a state that has seen widespread drought this summer, many feared the rain might be too much of a good thing. A separate storm system had already dropped as much as 8 inches of rain on parts of central and eastern North Carolina on Wednesday.

"We need some rain around here – just not all at once," said Jean Evans, a convenience store worker on North Carolina's Holden Beach.

A hurricane watch from the South Santee River, S.C., to Cape Fear was dropped. A tropical storm watch was posted from Cape Fear to Currituck Beach, including Pamlico and Albemarle sounds.

Before the storm entered Virginia, Gov. Timothy Kaine declared a state of emergency, putting the Virginia National Guard and state agencies on alert.

North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley also declared a state of emergency Thursday.

The state had 26 emergency shelters opened in areas affected by the storm, but only 233 people stayed in them Thursday night. Only a handful of power outages were reported, McQuillan said.

Many eastern school districts and some businesses planned to open late Friday, including the Marine Corps bases at Camp Lejeune and Air Station New River, on the coast near Jacksonville. Some schools were closed.

The National Park Service closed some facilities on the Outer Banks until the storm passed, including two campgrounds near Cape Hatteras. The ports at Wilmington and Morehead City were closed by the Coast Guard at mid-afternoon Thursday.

Several state roads and local streets in southeastern counties were closed Thursday night due to high water, but no major traffic disruptions or accidents were reported, McQuillan said.

Sean Gainer was driving down a street in Wilmington when his car suddenly stalled in two feet of water. By the time he and others pushed it to safety, the water in the road had receded.

"I've driven in hurricanes and I've seen worse than this. That kind of luck just happens," he said.

On the Net:
National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/