Irma update: Gov. Cooper says ‘people still need to pay attention to the forecast and be prepared’

As Hurricane Irma weakened to a tropical storm on Monday morning, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper cautioned North Carolinians that it still was not time to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

“Things are looking better for us, but we’re not out of the woods yet and we don’t want any surprises,” Cooper said at a 10 a.m. news conference.

Western North Carolina, where recent wildfires have scarred the landscape, are vulnerable to mud and rock slides and possible flooding along the French Broad River, Cooper said.

In coastal North Carolina, Cooper said rip currents and dangerous surf still pose risks. Emergency workers also are closely watching the Cape Fear River near Wilmington and potential flooding.

Irma weakened to a tropical storm Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center reported. The center of the storm is expected to move near Florida’s northwestern coast and cross the eastern Florida Panhandle into southern Georgia on Monday. It will move through southwestern Georgia and and eastern Alabama on Monday night and Tuesday.

Blue Ridge Parkway officials closed the scenic route through the N.C. mountains at 2 p.m. south of the Virginia line.

Other closings were announced, too, across North Carolina.

The N.C. zoo in Asheboro will not open on Tuesday after moving animals to secure places.

Ferries along the Cape Fear, in Southport and Fort Fisher, ceased operations because of wind and rough waters.

North Carolina remains in a state of emergency, Cooper said, giving the governor power to issue evacuation orders, set curfews, restrict vehicular traffic, waive any state or municipal laws that might hinder relief efforts, as well as establish economic controls over resources and materials, including food and shelter.

Cooper has kept the state in such posture for the past five days, and on Monday he said he did not regret his decision to urge all to have water, batteries and food on hand, as well as evacatuation routes mapped.

“It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it not have it,” Cooper said. “When you have a large dangerous storm like Irma, you need to get ready. Hurricane season is not over and we do know that living in the state we do, jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean like we do,” Cooper said, that storms can wreak havoc on property, the economy and the fabric of coastal and inland communities.

There are many North Carolinians who continue to fight the effects of Hurricane Matthew.

The flooding last October from Hurricane Matthew killed 31 people in North Carolina, forced thousands out of their homes, leaving many displaced still in temporary housing and raised questions in Lumberton, Princeville and other eastern NC towns about whether to rebuild.

Hurricane Harvey left large swaths of damage in Texas and now Irma has left behind flooding, wind damage and hundreds of thousands of power outages throughout Florida.

“We want to make sure that Matthew victims are not forgotten in this,” Cooper said Monday. “Right now FEMA is stretched and pouring significant resources into these other places.”

But Cooper said once the effects of Irma have passed beyond North Carolina, emergency management crews can reassess what resources are needed locally and be prepared to help recovery efforts in Florida.

N.C. Emergency Management and the American Red Cross opened five shelters over the weekend. At least 32 people stayed at one of the five shelters last night, according to the Red Cross.

The shelters will remain open as they’re needed, Cooper said at the press conference, adding that many of the people stopping at the shelters stopped for needed sleep and a brief respite before moving on to their next destinations.

This story was originally published September 11, 2017 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Irma update: Gov. Cooper says ‘people still need to pay attention to the forecast and be prepared’."