Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency for North Carolina on Tuesday, Aug. 19, ahead of Hurricane Erin.

The storm, which was about 615 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, is not expected to make direct landfall in North Carolina. Its likeliest path takes the center of the storm between the East Coast and Bermuda on Wednesday, Aug. 20, and Thursday, Aug. 21.

However, meteorologists predict that Erin will bring life-threatening surf and rip currents along with tropical storm conditions to North Carolina’s coast, regardless of the storm’s strength or size, which are expected to fluctuate.

“Hurricane Erin will bring threats of coastal flooding, beach erosion and dangerous surf conditions,” Stein said in a news release. “North Carolinians along the coast should get prepared now, ensure their emergency kit is ready, and listen to local emergency guidelines and alerts in the event they need to evacuate.”

Storm surge and tropical storm warnings are in effect for the North Carolina coast, as forecasters expect the coastal flooding to begin as early as Tuesday afternoon. The storm surge will bring large waves, causing beach erosion and overwash that makes some roads impassible, according to the National Hurricane Center.

What does the state of emergency mean?

The state of emergency is in place for the entire state.

It temporarily suspends the maximum hours of service for drivers transporting items such as fuel, water, food, medical supplies, livestock, poultry, crops or feed for livestock and poultry, along with vehicles used for restoring utility and transportation services.

It also pauses weighing of vehicles used to transport livestock, poultry, livestock or poultry feed, or crops ready to be harvested.

And it triggers anti-price gouging laws, which make it unlawful for businesses or sellers to charge excessively high prices for essential goods and services.

The purpose of the state of emergency is to ensure that supplies and services needed in preparation, recovery and restoration efforts are able to get to affected communities as quickly as possible.

In July, Stein issued a state of emergency for 13 counties to help with recovery efforts following Tropical Storm Chantal.

Additional states of emergency

The governor is not the only public official able to declare states of emergency.

Local states of emergency have also been declared in Dare and Hyde counties.

—Dare County: Mandatory evacuations were ordered for all visitors and residents in evacuation zone A, which includes Hatteras Island.

—Hyde County: Issued a state of emergency for Ocracoke Island, including mandatory evacuations for visitors and residents

Hurricane Erin’s path

Hurricane Erin was moving toward the north-northwest around 10 mph, as of 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Its motion was expected to continue through the night and pick up speed before moving northward on Wednesday and then northeastward on Thursday.

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