Ian: Things you need to know in southeastern North Carolina

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – After devastating Florida, Hurricane Ian made landfall in South Carolina Friday afternoon as a Category 1 storm.

While the eastern coast of North Carolina wasn’t a direct hit, many areas felt the wrath of Ian as it came ashore. Ian was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone just before 5 p.m. Friday.

Heavy rains caused flooding in many coastal areas, while wind gusts knocked trees down onto houses, power lines and roads.

Call 911 for emergencies and downed trees, but for non-emergency information, call:

New Hanover County 911 non-emergency: 910-452-6120
Duke Energy / Report Power Outages: 800-419-6356
Pender County Emergency Services: 910-259-1210
Brunswick County Emergency Services: 910-253-5383
Columbus County Emergency Operations Center: 910-640-2208

Streets, parking lots and canals throughout Ocean Isle Beach have been flooded. The town is asking residents not to use water or sewer services until further notice. The Ocean Isle Beach bridge has been closed.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation reminds drivers to “turn around, don’t drown” when approaching flooded roadways.

Hurricane Ian traffic: Some Wilmington roads closed due to flooding

Here’s the current road outage map provided by the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Thousands of people in southeastern North Carolina are without power.

Outage Maps:

Duke Energy: https://outagemap.duke-energy.com/#/current-outages/ncsc
Brunswick Electric: http://bemc.maps.sienatech.com/
Four County Electric: https://oms.fourcty.org/

Duke Energy wants customers to report an outage as soon as possible. You can call (800) 769-3766 or text “OUT” to 57801. You can also sign up for text message alerts about outages and restoration timelines at your home or business.

Generators:

If using a generator, never bring it indoors, even in the garage, and never refuel the machine while it is running. Duke provides a comprehensive guide to generator safety here.

See it, Snap it, Send it

Be our eyes. Send us pictures or videos of the storm in your area or of the damage it leaves behind. Text or email your pictures to pics@wect.com. Or visit pics.wect.com.

On Mobile

Now is the time to download the WECT Weather App if you haven’t done so already. The app has many features that will help you track the storm and keep you weather aware with push alerts from the National Weather Service and the First Alert Weather Team. Click here to learn more about the app, including how to turn on the tropical storm track over the radar.

If you do not have the app yet, you can download it for Android, iPhone and iPad by clicking the links.

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