Isaias' Impact In NC: 153,495 Without Power, Two Dead​

NORTH CAROLINA — More than 153,000 North Carolina residents were without power Tuesday afternoon after Isaias made landfall as a hurricane, lashing the east coast and bringing with it a significant storm surge that caused flooding in many coastal communities.

Adding to its wake of devastation, Isaias spun off a number of tornados, one of which claimed two lives and left others hospitalized or missing in Bertie County.

In a news release on Tuesday, Bertie County Emergency Management Director Mitch Cooper said two people died in the tornado and 12 others were taken to the hospital with storm-related injuries.

At least 10 others were rescued and taken to local shelters, Cooper said.

"Assessment of the scene will continue today as well into the coming days. Taskforce Teams from across the state are on the ground supplementing local search efforts," Cooper said. "We want to emphasize that this is not a recovery mission, and rescues are still taking place which is why it is increasingly important to steer clear of the area."

The National Weather Service will survey the area on Wednesday to gauge the size of the debris field and the size of the tornado, according to the release.

Aerial photos taken of the mobile home community Tuesday morning show homes in tatters along the tornado's path. WRAL reporter Renee Chou said on Twitter that 10 homes were destroyed.

But the impact of the storm is far from over, according to the National Weather Service. As of Tuesday morning, a storm surge warning remained in effect for Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds and from Ocracoke Inlet in North Carolina to the Virginia state line.

The storm continues to spur strong winds, heavy rain and tornados as it moved along the Atlantic coast throughout the day, the NWS said.

As of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, a tropical storm warning was still in effect for Surf City, North Carolina, to Eastport Maine, Pamlico Sound, Albemarle Sound, Chesapeake Bay, the Tidal Potomac River, Delaware Bay, Long Island and Long Island Sound, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and Block Island.

In these areas, sustained wind speeds of around 70 miles per hour were expected.

The storm arrived late last night with sustained winds of around 85 miles per hour and strong storm surges of up to five feet, the hurricane center said.

According to posts from storm chasers on the ground and a report from WECT, crews were working after 11 p.m. Monday to extinguish five homes that caught fire at Ocean Isle Beach. In the same area, storm surge reached a depth of three feet in the area. Multiple sources report crews from Horry County and Myrtle Beach were called in to help fight the fires.

As of around 10 a.m. Tuesday, the City of Ocean Isle Beach had extended its curfew indefinitely amid ongoing flooding cleanup efforts. The curfew took effect at 9 p.m. Monday and was originally set to expire at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Storm Chaser Jeff Piotrowski also reported via Twitter that a number of residents in Oak Island made calls to first responders late Monday to be rescued from the roofs of their homes amid a four-foot storm surge.

Drone footage taken of Oak Island by WXChasing shows flooding, overturned cars and roadways overtaken with sand carried in by storm surge.

Related: Rescuers Standing By As Hurricane Isaias Reaches NC Coastline

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Power Outages

As of around 3 p.m. a.m. Tuesday, more than 153,000 homes in North Carolina were still without power, according to PowerOutage.US.

Data from the website showed New Hanover had the most outages as of Tuesday afternoon with a total of 47,439 homes without power. Although much fewer, outages have been reported as far inland as Granville and Franklin Counties.

Several news outlets and storm chasers reported power lines and trees had fallen across the region.

A Twitter user who goes by the username "AdahopAlex" wrote online: "Electricity out everywhere and constant arcing from power lines. You can't hear it in the video, but there's a loud, low, ominous hum following every arc."

Got photos of Hurricane Isaias' damage? You can send them to payton.potter@patch.com.

Traffic Impacted

Multiple roads were obstructed amid Hurricane Isaias' landfall Monday evening and early Tuesday by car crashes, rising waters and downed trees and other debris.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation took to social media to remind drivers to always avoid downed power lines, fallen trees and high water. That advice extends beyond the hurricane's initial impact and into the days of cleanup that could follow.

Department Secretary Eric Boyette said on Monday that a team of more than 1,800 highway division employees were waiting with 1,550 pieces of equipment and over 1,000 chainsaws to reopen roadways as quickly as possible.

Drivers are encouraged to use the Department of Transportation's DriveNC website to identify real-time road hazards and closures before leaving the house.

Look Inside the Storm⁦@spann⁩ ⁦@JimCantore⁩ ⁦@megtomwx⁩ @NWSWilmingtonNC⁩ large tree uprooted last night in Kings Grant subdivision in Wilmington from #Isiais This was my home when I was a foster child back in the mid 1980s. pic.twitter.com/7zyxXfqt6D