North Carolina News

On Monday, visitors were asked to leave Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Residents will join the evacuations on Tuesday. Despite the risks, not everyone is leaving. “It’s all wait and see,” said Rick Shaftan. “You never know what’s going to happen.” Homes and homeowners like Shaftan are waiting to see what Hurricane Erin brings to a town that’s become famous as the Atlantic swallows it up, bit by bit. Last year alone, six homes were demolished…

Hurricane Erin is growing larger, and its expected impact is starting to stretch far beyond its footprint. A tropical storm watch was in effect Monday for the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and officials there ordered the evacuation of some coastal areas amid concerns that bands from the storm’s outer edges could lead to heavy rain and strong winds by Wednesday. And nearly the entire east coast of the United States was at risk for…

Hurricane Erin forced tourists to cut their vacations short on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, even though the monster storm is expected to stay offshore after lashing part of the Caribbean with rain and wind on Monday. Evacuations were ordered on a couple of barrier islands along the Carolina shore as authorities warned the storm could churn up dangerous rip currents and swamp roads with waves of 15 feet (4.6 meters). Tropical storm and surge watches…

With the constant heavy rain and downpours over the past few weeks, flash flooding has become a recurring problem for people in the area. On Thursday, WRAL News was on the scene of Avent Ferry Road in Raleigh, where multiple drivers were seen attempting to push through flood waters during nighttime showers and storms. Preston Ross is the founder of a Raleigh nonprofit and told WRAL News that trash and debris on top of heavy…

The Paperhand Puppet Project debuted its show, The Gift, just over a month after its studio in Saxapahaw flooded during Tropical Storm Chantal. Executive Director Donovan Zimmerman said the theatre is facing more than $100,000 in losses, including some of the puppets used in performances. The studio is the space the crew used to create their puppets and store their equipment, much of which was destroyed in the floods. “Waters rose and came into our…

Two oceanfront homes on the Outer Banks are “very, very vulnerable” to collapse as Hurricane Erin, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, churns north in the Atlantic and sends strong waves toward the North Carolina coast. Mark Gray, with WM Dunn Construction, said “two houses for sure are on the verge of collapse” along G.A. Kohler Court in Rodanthe — the same stretch of shoreline where multiple homes have crumbled into the ocean in…

Tom Dundon, the owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, has reached an agreement to purchase the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, according to multiple reports. Sportico first reported the deal. The Blazers are owned by Paul Allen’s estate and the plan is to keep the team in Portland, according to reports.  “We are excited,” Dundon said in an email to Yahoo! Sports. Dundon bought the Hurricanes in 2019 for $425 million. The NHL team has reached the…

This year’s Atlantic hurricane season has been relatively quiet so far, with just four storms becoming strong enough to merit names, and none strong enough to be hurricanes. But that may be about to change. Experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released an update Thursday to their seasonal hurricane forecast, with a very slight adjustment down from their initial estimates in May. They said that the forecast remains on track for an above-average…

Mary McKinney has lived near Smoky Hollow for about five years. She said that Monday night was the first time she’d seen any significant flooding in the area. “I had never seen anything like it,” she said. A series of videos sent to WRAL News show flooded streets in several areas in downtown Raleigh and across the Triangle, including in Smoky Hollow. WRAL News viewers are asking questions about whether new development in the area…