Miami’s National Hurricane Center reported that Hurricane Arthur’s eye came ashore at about 11:15 p.m. ET over the Shackleford Banks, between Cape Lookout and Beaufort, North Carolina, the point of landfall was near 34.6 N, 76.6 W. Arthur brought 1-minute maximum sustained winds to the region of around 157 km/h (97 mph). Wind gusts in the area may have been considerably higher but the storm moved through relatively quickly.

North Carolina’s Outer Banks is a 200-mile string of narrow barrier islands with about 57,000 permanent residents and many seasonal property owners. Arthur started southern end of North Carolina’s barrier islands, battering the shore with high sustained winds and rattling

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale categorizes storms based on their sustained wind speed and estimates property damage.

  • Category 2. 96 to 110 mph. Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage. Well-constructed frame homes could sustain major roof and siding damage. Many shallowly rooted trees will be snapped or uprooted and block roads. Near-total power loss is expected with outages that could last several days to weeks.

The extent of damage is still being assessed. About 22,000 were without power across the Carolinas early Friday, according to Duke Energy’s website.

WAVY news reported that just before 8 a.m., law enforcement closed Highway 64 from Manteo to Nags Head, N.C. because of flooding on the causeway. WAVY is also receiving reports that NC12 has buckled at Pea Island, due to the force of the storm surge.

WAVY News’ Andy Fox was along Highway 12 in Avon Friday morning. The roadway was flooded, with vehicles unable to get by in either direction. One vehicle that attempted to drive through had to turn around due to the water level. Andy said two things helped keep the storm from creating more damage: Hurricane Arthur was fast-moving and it passed through at low tide.

As of 7 a.m., access was no longer restricted to Northern Dare County. Dare County, south of the Oregon Inlet, remains closed due to flooded roads. Access to Hatteras Island also remains closed until further notice.

Here are pictures posted by WAVY new of some of the initial damage:
http://interactives.wavy.com/photomojo/gallery/13035/1/

Today is Independence Day. Today we celebrate our freedom and thankful our families are safe. Take a minute to be in the moment and show gratitude for our privileges. Enjoy that apple pie a la mode!

So stay safe and look for future posts dedicated to Hurricane Arthur damage property insurance tips and, as always, we welcome your comments on the OBX hurricane damage.