Hurricanes and Pets: Everything You Need to Know

Evacuation orders were issued for North Carolina’s Ocracoke Island on Friday as the East Coast prepared for Hurricane Isaias. Here is a look at developments in Georgia and the Carolinas as storm preparations begin.

North Carolina

The Hyde County Commission ordered a mandatory visitor evacuation of Ocracoke Island effective at noon Friday. Residents and nonresident property owners were ordered to evacuate beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday.

(MORE: Here's the Latest Track for Hurricane Isaias)

Officials in Dare County, which encompasses the Outer Banks north of Ocracoke, advised travelers with plans to visit the Outer Banks to consider delaying their arrival until after Isaias has passed.

Rough seas and strong rip currents are expected to create dangerous conditions for beachgoers over the next few days and into next week.

On Friday afternoon, Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency to make state resources available for storm response.

South Carolina

"We’ve been watching Hurricane Isaias very closely over the past few days," Kim Stenson, director of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, said in a statement Friday. "There is still a lot of uncertainty in the forecast. It will be important for everyone to review their hurricane plans now and pay close attention to the forecasts over the weekend."

The National Hurricane Center said heavy rain associated with Isaias "could result in isolated flash and urban flooding, especially in low-lying and poorly drained areas, as well as isolated minor river flooding."

(MORE: What Hurricane Isaias' East Coast Track Could Mean for the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast)

Rip currents, high surf and beach erosion are also possible along the South Carolina coast, the National Weather Service said.

In Charleston, Emergency Management Director Shannon Scaff said city officials met to discuss the storm's timing and whether the city has enough supplies for residents, according to the Post and Courier.

Georgia

In Chatham County, which is home to Savannah and Tybee Island, emergency management officials tweeted that they were closely monitoring the development of the storm.

The Chatham Emergency Management Agency "encourages all County residents to take some time today and tomorrow to prepare your home and your family for hurricane season," according to a Friday news release.

It added that coastal flooding is possible Sunday and Monday.

Tybee Island officials said in a press release the water will be closed to swimmers Sunday and Monday as conditions dictate. Dangerous surf and beach erosion are likely.

"This is a 'Shelter in Place' scenario, no evacuation orders are planned at this time," the release said.

Chatham EMA Director Dennis Jones told an online hurricane preparedness conference on Thursday, "We are in a new and ever-changing time as we face a hurricane season that’s not only predicted to be a busy one, but it’s also occurring in conjunction with a worldwide epidemic, so it creates some unique challenges for us for this year."

Chatham County has no evacuation shelters of its own because the potential for storm surge is so high in the county, according to the Savannah Morning News. If an evacuation is ordered, residents are sent to other counties.

(MORE: In the Era of Coronavirus and Social Distancing, Is It Safe to Go to a Hurricane Shelter?)

"COVID has thrown a monkey wrench into all hurricane planning, not only for us, but for all the partners who are on today," Jones told the conference.

Twice as many buses will be needed to move residents from the assembly point at the Savannah Civic Center to the host communities. Evacuations will have to start earlier, too, Jones said. And more host communities will have to be recruited because their shelters will have limited capacity due to social distancing rules.

"So if we are planning for 2,500, and we normally send those 2,500 to one community, now that community can only take 500 or 70, or 750," Jones said. "So we have to find other communities in which to send our population."

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