Town leaders in Emerald Isle working to keep people safe through storm, remain prepared

EMERALD ISLE, N.C. (WNCT) — While a low-pressure system continues to move through Eastern North Carolina, the impact it is leaving behind in some areas is concerning people near the coast.

The beaches of Emerald Isle were deserted Monday as high tides brought waves crashing onto the sand.

“We are coming off our most recent Tropical Storm Debby, so we had prepared our community and town staff for that response period, in fact, we are seeing rainfall locally higher and in greater intensity that we saw during Hurricane Debby,” Emerald Isle Town Manager Matt Zapp said.

Zapp and the team of leadership in the town were out finding flooded roads and posting them to the town’s Facebook page Monday to help people stay safe.

“We are prepared 365 days of the year for events such at this, so our team was activated late last night and early into this morning,” Zapp said. “Our town staff, myself included, were in the field all day today as we’ve had roadway flooding and we have been indicating it, making multiple posts to social media.”

For people who are local or still visiting the island, it is still key to keep an eye on conditions as things can always change fast.

“Things we are looking for are extremely heavy rainfalls or serious deluges, as we have seen 3-5 inches of rain in certain portions of the island today,” Zapp said. “We do anticipate high levels of rain again overnight and potentials for straight-line winds and storm surge. Anyone traveling on a standard asphault roadway within Emerald Isle or any part of Carteret County, remember where there is standing water, please do not drive through it. Turn around, don’t drown.”

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