Gov. Cooper says President Trump pledged to help NC recover from Hurricane Isaias

Recovery efforts from Hurricane Isaias continued in eastern North Carolina and along the coast on Tuesday, as President Donald Trump assured the state that help is on the way.

Gov. Roy Cooper said in a Tuesday afternoon press conference that Trump promised assistance in a phone call earlier in the day.

“I spoke with the president to update him on how we fared,” Cooper said. “He has pledged help and we will continue to be in touch with FEMA and other federal government agencies.”

Hurricane Isaias made landfall at Ocean Isle Beach around 11 p.m. Monday night with 85 mph winds ripping the coastline, dumping rain and spawning suspected tornadoes that killed two people at a mobile home park in Bertie County.

Cooper said that swift water rescue teams rescued two people from a flooded home in Bertie County. Earlier Tuesday, there were reports that young children were among those missing in Bertie County.

“That is not the case,” he said.

As of about 2:30 p.m., a little more than 172,000 homes in North Carolina were still without power.

As cleanup continues, many communities in the southeast have closed off streets and set curfews, Cooper said, and state parks in the southeast are closed as well.

Preparing for Isaias

Cooper Tuesday said there was significant storm surge along the coast.

“In southeastern North Carolina, particularly, they have seen so many storms come across,” Cooper said. “So, I think that they were somewhat surprised at the amount of storm surge ... They do have some significant damage along the coast. Thankfully, as far as we know, no injuries for that.”

In his briefing, Cooper stressed the importance of being prepared for storms such as Isaias.

“We don’t have the luxury of sitting back and see how hurricane season goes. That’s especially true during a pandemic,” Cooper said. “Our state has recovered from some fierce storms over the years. As we pick up the pieces today, let’s harness that spirit of recovery and resilience that has gotten us through tough times before.”

A major concern during Isaias was how to deal with coastal evacuations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mike Sprayberry, director of North Carolina Emergency Management, said on Tuesday that the state had 24 shelters open Monday night and about 40 people showed up.

“We were prepared with non-congregate sheltering, but many people heeded the advice to stay with family or friends or at a hotel,” Sprayberry said. “It wasn’t needed.”

Sprayberry said that meteorologists with the National Weather Service will be surveying in the next few days to confirm possible tornado touchdowns in three locations: Bald Head Island in Brunswick County, near Windsor in Bertie County, and near Menola in Hertford County.

Meanwhile, the state remains under elevated threat of some minor downstream flooding later this week, Sprayberry said.

This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Gov. Cooper says President Trump pledged to help NC recover from Hurricane Isaias."