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With Hurricane Franklin and Hurricane Idalia churning in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, now is the time to prepare, reports Dare County Emergency Management.

Hurricane Franklin’s impacts are producing hazardous ocean conditions that are bringing life-threatening rip currents and large breaking surf to all Dare County beaches, making ocean swimming unsafe.

Hurricane Idalia’s forecast is very dynamic, states the media release from Dare County Emergency Management. The storm is anticipated to move off the East Coast into the Atlantic Ocean after making landfall as a major hurricane in Florida on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.

As of this morning, Tuesday, Aug. 29, the National Weather Service is forecasting significant rain, high winds and minor storm surge inundation, one foot above ground in low-lying areas, for Dare County.

Most impacts will be realized on Hatteras Island based on the current forecast track. Impacts are anticipated to start late Wednesday, Aug. 30 into Thursday, Aug. 31. So now is the time to prepare.

For details on the forecast for Hurricane Idalia, as well as the most up-to-date information, check the National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov and the National Weather Service at Newport/Morehead City at weather.gov/mhx/.

Information available from Dare County

To keep residents and visitors informed, Dare County, in partnership with Current TV, has released a new video highlighting the community Hurricane Preparedness Forum that was held in conjunction with the National Weather Service on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023 at the Dare County Emergency Operations Center in Manteo.

Go to YouTube.com/DareCounty to view the presentations.

Hurricane Preparedness Precautions:

Sign Up for Emergency Alerts: Sign up to receive customized emergency alerts, including severe weather watches and warnings, public safety and emergency-related warnings, countywide evacuation orders and other time-critical notifications at OBXAlerts.com.

Sign Up for Updates on Beach and Ocean Conditions: Sign up to receive daily beach condition updates via text message by texting “OBXBeachConditions” to 77295. For additional information about rip currents, red flag warnings and more, visit LoveTheBeachRespectTheOcean.org.

Monitor Storm Surge and Rising Water Levels: Sign up to receive alerts via text message if water levels in your area begin to rise due to storm surge by visiting FIMAN.NC.gov and selecting the flood gauge(s) located in local waterways to monitor in real time.

Obtain a 2023 Reentry Permit: In order to reenter Dare County during a staged reentry process following a mandatory evacuation, individuals must possess and display a current and valid reentry permit. To obtain a reentry permit, go to darenc.gov/departments/emergency-management/reentry.

For updated information about road conditions on NC Highway 12, follow the North Carolina Department of Transportation on Facebook at Facebook.com/NCDOTNC12 or drivenc.gov.

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