15 inches of rain expected in some places; storm surges could reach 11 feet
Hurricane Ophelia lashed the North Carolina coast with high winds and heavy rains Wednesday, beginning an anticipated two-day assault that threatened serious flooding.
With the slow-moving storm expected to produce up to 15 inches of rain in places, Gov. Mike Easley told people to get out of the storm�s path.
�If you have not heeded the warning before, let me be clear right now: Ophelia is a dangerous storm,� the governor said from Raleigh, warning of storm surges that could reach 11 feet.
As it brushed the coast, Ophelia ripped away one barrier island street and chased emergency personnel to shelter. The storm had sustained wind of 85 mph Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The governor urged people to leave flood-prone areas. �We�re asking and begging them to do that because it�s going to be hard to get them out later,� he said. The storm�s center was expected to make landfall Wednesday evening in Carteret County, at the corner of North Carolina�s central coast.
Hurricane warnings covered the entire North Carolina coast from the South Carolina line to Virginia, where a tropical storm warning covered the mouth of Chesapeake Bay.
Ophelia was moving northeastward at just 7 mph after following a looping, meandering course along the coast since it formed off Florida.
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