Hurricane Florence gained strength Monday afternoon, becoming a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph.

Evacuations were ordered from South Carolina to the eastern shores of Virginia Monday. Dare County issued a mandatory evacuation from residents and visitors beginning at 7 a.m. Tuesday. Hatteras Island evacuations began Monday afternoon. Hyde County is evacuating both visitors and residents while Currituck County issued evacuations orders for visitors to Corolla and Carova.

Outer Banks braces for Florence

Dare County Emergency Management said there are no restrictions in place yet on the bridges into and out of the Outer Banks, and none will be implemented before Wednesday afternoon.

Mandatory evacuation ordered for all of Dare County

The National Hurricane Center says it’s still uncertain where Florence may come ashore, though Morehead City and the Wrightsville Beach areas were thought to be likely targets.

Hurricane force could begin on shore in North Carolina as early as Wednesday night.

The center said a life-threatening storm surge is likely along portions of the coastlines of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, and a storm surge watch will likely be issued for some of these areas by

Tuesday morning.

“All interests from South Carolina into the mid-Atlantic region should ensure they have their hurricane plan in place and follow any advice given by local officials,” the center said.

The center said life-threatening flooding inland is likely from a “prolonged and exceptionally heavy rainfall event, which may extend inland over the Carolinas and Mid Atlantic for hundreds of miles as Florence is

expected to slow down as it approaches the coast and moves inland.”

Damaging hurricane-force winds are likely along portions of the

coasts of South Carolina and North Carolina, and a hurricane watch

will likely be issued by Tuesday morning. Damaging winds could also

spread well inland into portions of the Carolinas and Virginia.

Local hurricane notes:

• NC Emergency Management has announced the opening of a shelter for Dare County residents beginning Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. at Knightdale High School at 1001 Bryan Caulk Lane, Knightdale, NC 27545. This will be a pet friendly shelter and Dare County residents must show a valid ID with a Dare County address for entry. All pet friendly shelters require vaccination records for each pet. While in the shelter, owners are responsible for the feeding, care, clean-up, and behavior of their pets.
• Dare County schools are closed Tuesday and until further notice.
• Dare County Public Works will collect residential trash on Tuesday, Sept. 11 in  Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Manteo, Wanchese, East Lake, Stumpy Point, and Manns Harbor.  Regular trash collection will resume on Monday, Sept. 17.
• Dare County Administrative Offices will close at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 11 and remain closed until further notice. The Dare County Emergency Operations Center is activated for the storm and can be reached at 252.475.5655.
• All Dare County Parks & Rec programs are cancelled until further notice. The Baum Center, Family Recreation Park, the Dare County Center and the Manteo Youth Center will be closed beginning Tuesday, September 11 until further notice.
• The Dare County Clerk of Courts Office will be closed Tuesday, Sept. 11 through Friday, Sept. 14.
• All district court sessions are cancelled beginning Tuesday, September 11 through Friday, September 14.  The Clerk of Courts Office is in the process of continuing all cases and notice of new court dates will be mailed Monday afternoon. Anyone who does not receive a notice by Friday, September 21 should contact the Dare County Clerk of Courts Office to receive their new court date.
• All Dare County Schools will be closed on September 11 through the remainder of the week.  Cape Hatteras Elementary and Cape Hatteras Secondary Schools released early today in response to the mandatory evacuation.  Additionally, the Board of Education meeting that was scheduled for tomorrow evening has been cancelled.

National Park Service

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial have suspended visitor services and closed all of its visitor facilities at 12:00 p.m. Monday.

Town of Nags Head

The Town of Nags Head is making multiple passes for trash and recycling collection on South Virginia Dare Trail and South Old Oregon Inlet Road, emptying any containers that are placed out for collection. All regularly scheduled collections on Tuesday and Wednesday will not be impacted; however, Wednesday, September 12 will be the last day that trash and recycling will be collected, until further notice. In addition, the bulk item/brush collection yard will be closed until further notice.

The Dowdy Park Farmer’s Market and the Mama’s Black Sheep concert, both scheduled for Thursday, September 13, have been cancelled and will be rescheduled.

Town of Manteo

Curbside recycling will be picked up on Tuesday, September 11.

Commercial AND residential solid waste pickup will be done on Wednesday, September 12.

The Planning Board meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 11 has been cancelled and their next meeting will be held October 9.

Cutoffs for water and sewer account non-payments will be delayed until after re-entry.

The next scheduled update from Dare County Emergency Management will be issued Tuesday morning, September 12. Visit www.darenc.com for updated information, videos, and relevant links to official sources.To receive notifications directly from Dare County Emergency Management, visit www.darenc.com/emergencyalerts