Hurricane watch issued, N.C. coast

  The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane watch for Dare County and all of the North Carolina coast from north of Surf City to the Virginia border. A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the next 36 hours.

  Dare County Emergency Management is closely monitoring the progress of Hurricane Earl and urges all residents and visitors to take necessary precautions for possible hurricane force winds as the storm is expected to pass approximately 100 miles off the Outer Banks early Friday morning.

  As early as Wednesday, the storm will generate rough seas with a high risk of dangerous rip currrents. There is also the potential for serious ocean overwash in the southern portions of Dare County from Rodanthe to Hatteras Village, which is expected to affect travel on Rt. 12 south of Oregon Inlet.

  The N.C. Emergency Management Office has established a command center to track the storm and mobilize any necessary resources. The highway patrol is moving personnel into regionally-staged areas and NCDOT has staged equipment in readiness.

  Dominion Power is following its hurricane preparedness plan and has implemented a storm alert phase with normal operating conditions at this time. Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative has initiated preliminary actions to prepare for possible problems related to Hurricane Earl.

  The National Park Service has announced the upcoming closure of visitor centers and campgrounds. The Ocracoke Visitor Center closed at noon Wednesday and the Hatteras Island, Bodie Island, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh Visitor centers closed at 5 p.m. Wednesday. The Ocracoke, Frisco, Cape Point and Oregon inlet campgrounds closed at noon Wednesday. The last climb for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was Wednesday at 2 p.m, and the lighthouse closed at 3 p.m. By Thursday, expected surf conditions will create unsafe conditions on seashore beaches and off-road vehicle use will be prohibited until safe conditions allow.

  The towns of Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head are closely watching Earl and making preparations. Those staying along the oceanfront are requested to closely monitor the storm due to the expected high surf, and they are urged to relocate vehicles to higher ground.

  The Dare County Planning Department reminds contractors to prepare their job sites for hazardous weather by securing loose materials. All residents and visitors are urged to take the same precautionary step, along with other storm preparation measures outlined on www.darenc.com.

  Residents and visitors are encouraged to monitor local news outlets for further advisories from the weather service and state and local emergency management officials. Bulletins will be issued as needed and available at www.darenc.com and on Government Access Channel 20.