North Carolina highway reopens following Hurricane Erin’s coastal flooding, erosion

Erin whitethorn beryllium gone, but East Coast rip existent hazard remains

Hurricane Erin is present gone distant from the U.S. and is post-tropical, but the storm's impacts linger done the play arsenic the hazard of rip currents is inactive high. FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell reports from Ocean City, Maryland, wherever 3 radical were rescued from a rip existent connected Friday. 

HATTERAS ISLAND, N.C. – A large roadway that connects North Carolina’s Outer Banks reopened connected Saturday aft days of closures triggered by flooding from Hurricane Erin.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation spent hours clearing soil and debris from N.C. Highway 12, which is present deemed harmless for travel.

A tempest surge of upwards of 4 feet, successful operation with a caller Moon, produced important overwash on the obstruction islands, flooding the highway, particularly during times of precocious tide.

Dare County lifted its mandatory evacuation bid for Hatteras Island and instituted a staged reentry process to let residents, spot owners and concern operators to instrumentality earlier visitors are permitted.

Priority 2 and Priority 3 groups, which see residents and concern employees, were allowed backmost connected the land opening Saturday astatine noon, with each reentry restrictions acceptable to expire connected Sunday, erstwhile tourists tin return.

WATCH: WORST OF THE MONSTER WAVES SLAMMING EAST COAST FROM HURRICANE ERIN

The reopening includes areas specified arsenic Rodanthe, Salvo and the colony of Hatteras, which trust heavy connected the summertime tourism season.

State officials encouraged visitors to cheque with hotels, rental companies and campgrounds, arsenic immoderate sites whitethorn person adjusted reservations.

Governor Josh Stein toured Dare County connected Friday to measure the effects caused by Hurricane Erin and spoke astir the impact.  

"While Hurricane Erin remained offshore, flooding and precocious winds impacted roadways on the Outer Banks, and the closure of NC 12 means that tiny businesses person had their livelihoods chopped disconnected during highest season," said Stein. "I americium thankful to the exigency officials and archetypal responders for their tireless enactment to hole for and respond to this storm, and I americium assured they volition enactment rapidly to guarantee folks’ harmless return."

The road is often impacted by hurricanes, nor’easters and adjacent high-tide cycles, which origin overwash and impermanent closures.

SOUTH CAROLINA RATTLED BY EARTHQUAKE SWARM

Transportation officials cautioned that drivers whitethorn inactive brushwood floodwaters, particularly since a frontal bound remains draped implicit the region, starring to enhancements of showers and thunderstorms.

"Standing h2o connected roadways whitethorn beryllium saltwater, which is precise damaging to vehicles. Proceed with caution, and thrust dilatory to trim the hazard of damage. If you brushwood NCDOT personnel, delight springiness them plentifulness of country to proceed moving to wide the roads," unit with Dare County stated.

Additionally, the menace of rip currents is expected to stay elevated for overmuch of North Carolina and the East Coast into adjacent week.

Hundreds of rescues were reported successful the days earlier Erin made its closest walk to the U.S., earlier the tempest strategy accelerated disconnected into the bluish Atlantic, wherever it became post-tropical connected Friday.

Officials person not released a harm estimation for costs associated with cleanup and betterment on the North Carolina coast, but erstwhile akin events person tally into the millions of dollars.