Dorian makes it to North Carolina, bringing rain, power outages and tornadoes

Hurricane Dorian signaled its arrival in North Carolina with driving rain, power outages and tornadoes.

The tornado warnings started early Thursday, with a suspected touchdown in Brunswick County and a waterspout at an RV park in Emerald Isle that caused significant damage and some injuries. The tornado watches and warnings that spanned the coast were also in effect as far inland as Johnston County.

The waterspout, which NOAA describes as having the same characteristics as a tornado, was spun out by one of the bands of Dorian, striking the Holiday Trav-L-Park campground and storage lot Thursday morning. The waterspout damaged 40 to 50 trailers on the lot and caused some injuries, but none were believed to be life-threatening.

Meanwhile, Duke Energy outage maps showed thousands without power along the coast.

Dorian, which bounced back and forth between Category 2 and Category 3 strength on Thursday, is expected to bring 10 to 15 inches of rain to North Carolina’s coastal areas, with the National Weather Service warning of storm surge potentials of 4 to 7 feet in Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties.

Rain is the primary threat to the Triangle, according to the National Weather Service. The rain was expected to begin clearing by mid-Friday, but a flash flood watch was in place until then.

The central and northern parts of the coast enjoyed nice weather into Thursday afternoon. It was a bit windy on the Outer Banks, but skies were sunny.

At Emerald Isle, about 85 miles north of Wilmington, Stephanie Lishka got an unplanned half-day off from her job when the medical office where she works closed for the storm. She decided to spend part of it on the beach, where the sand flew like bullets and the surf was rising.

“We just wanted to see it one last time,” she said, before the storm hits and possibly rearranges the coastline.

She went onto the beach at the Bogue Inlet Pier in Emerald Isle with friends and family, and the kids played in the waves — until a band of heavy rain sent them back to the car and their boarded-up home.

But as the storm approached, concerns about strong winds and flooding occupied the minds of those who still feel the effects from last year’s Hurricane Florence.

In Southport, about 30 miles south of Wilmington, Dave Morgan and his wife Pam used the time between wind bands to tie garbage bags around coin-operated binoculars at the foot of Howe Street.

“I don’t know if the garbage bags’ll work or not, but they’re heavy duty,” said Dave Morgan.

For a few quarters, the binoculars — a fundraiser for the local rotary club — let visitors to Southport’s downtown see across to Bald Head Island. After Florence last year, Dave had to take some of the binoculars apart to repair damage and install new timing mechanisms.

The Morgans had already made preparations at home. They stocked up on jugs of water, cleared the porch of items that could be blown by Dorian’s winds, and had a generator ready in the garage.

“Last year, we left for that one,” Dave Morgan said. “This one, we’re going to ride it out.”

This story was originally published September 5, 2019 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Dorian makes it to North Carolina, bringing rain, power outages and tornadoes."