Residents of North Carolina, United States, are facing one of the first big storms of the season. With its strong winds and torrential rains, Isaias could become a murderer, warn the weather services.
The storm, accompanied by winds of up to 140 km / h, made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach shortly after 11 p.m. in southern North Carolina, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, based in Miami, Florida.
"State of emergency" for the whole region
The NHC has warned of the risk of high winds, flooding and strong waves in North Carolina and South Carolina. Faced with this threat, President Donald Trump announced that he had declared a state of emergency for Florida and the two Carolinas in order to free up federal funds. “Everyone must remain vigilant,” he warned at a press conference. “I encourage everyone to follow the guidelines of local authorities and states,” he added.
“In North Carolina, we basically know what to do,” like not driving on flooded roads, taking shelter in a safe place and packing an emergency kit, the governor of North Carolina said over the weekend. State, Roy Cooper. "But this time, also put your masks and hand sanitizers in your kit and don't forget to respect the physical distance", he added.
A victim in Puerto Rico
Like many states in the southern and western United States, South and North Carolina have been facing an upsurge in the Covid-19 pandemic for several weeks. In North Carolina, troops have been deployed to this US Atlantic coast state to help prepare for the storm and provide support afterwards if needed. And a tornado alert is in effect in that state until Tuesday morning, according to the US meteorological agency.
A weather classified as a category 1 hurricane before being downgraded to a tropical storm and then again becoming a hurricane, Isaias first threatened Florida on Sunday, before sparing it. In this state very affected by Covid-19, many screening centers are housed in tents: they had been closed for the passage of Isaias.
Isaias was killed last week in the US territory of Puerto Rico, a 56-year-old woman whose vehicle was washed away. The depression has also wreaked measured havoc in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.
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