OCRACOKE, N.C. - As Hurricane Dorian sweeps up the coast of North Carolina, the eastern parts of the state, including the Outer Banks and Ocracoke Island, are seeing high winds, heavy rain and severe flooding.
Dorian, a Category 1 hurricane, made landfall over Cape Hatteras early Friday morning. The storm is currently causing severe soundside flooding across the entirety of Ocracoke Island.
NC-12 is currently closed from Ocracoke Village to the north end of the island, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
A mandatory evacuation was issued for visitors and residents of Ocracoke Island Monday, and went into effect on Tuesday for visitors and Wednesday for residents. Hyde County Public Information said that residents who did not evacuate can be evacuated by air to a shelter in Washington County.
"If you wish to leave, start preparing now," the county said on Facebook. "We will release times to go to the airport when we have it."
Residents planning to leave are asked to call the EOC at 252-926-3715 so that Hyde County Public Information can get a head count.
Click here for more Dorian coverage.
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