Already have plans to celebrate the Fourth of July this upcoming weekend? You might want to check your travel itinerary again, as a tropical storm is fast becoming a hurricane this week.
As of 2PM Wednesday, USA Today cited a National Hurricane Center that said Tropical Storm Arthus was at around a hundred miles east of Daytona Beach, Florida, and 235 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina. A tropical storm warning has already bee issued for all of coastal North Carolina, with a hurricane watch for the state section that juts into the Atlantic, Bogue Inlet to Oregon Inlet. The hurricane warning for Florida, however, has been canceled.
On the other hand, North Carolina Pat McCrory is not taking chances and has signed two executive orders to declare a state of emergency for 25 state counties and for the state government to mobile storm-response resources to avoid a Hurricane Katrina problem, the Wall Street Journal said.
In a news release, he pleaded, "While we all want to enjoy a fun Fourth of July weekend with friends and family, our highest priority should be safety during the storm. I encourage all of our coastal residents and visitors to take necessary precautions, listen to local media and use good judgment throughout the duration of the storm."
McCrory is not alone. the Emergency Management is also taking the storm seriously, and has been preparing its response and recovery efforts with national guard soldiers and bulldozers just in case. National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen has stated that currents and winds would be hitting North Carolina on Thursday midday and will ramp up to a Category 1 hurricane on Friday before leaving land.
On the other hand, local businesses seemed to be optimistic despite the serious weather warning. Oceanic Restaurant manager Scott Fagan in Wrightsville Beach, who has lived on the coast for the last 15 years, said about the storm, "If anything, you'll get people migrating here to see the waves they've never seen before. Tourists come in and ask a lot of questions, but it's kind of run-of-the-mill here. It's good to err on the side of caution but, as far as what we deal with, this isn't a big deal."
