00:00Well, the center of Hurricane Aaron may say just offshore, Dare County in North Carolina's
00:04Outer Banks is facing dangerous impacts, including possible Highway 12 washouts and property damage.
00:10Joining us is Danny Couch, former Dare County commissioner and local historian. Of course,
00:17Danny, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, no, no stranger to hurricanes. You are a lifetime
00:23resident. How often is a state of emergency and partial evacuation like this issued ahead of a
00:30hurricane? We always act with caution and we do not take Aaron lightly. As you know, we've had
00:40catastrophic breaches of North Carolina Highway 12, which is our lifeline with Hurricane Irene and
00:472011, Sandy and of course, Isabel. So that's our biggest fear. You told us Highway 12 is at risk,
00:55even with a distant hurricane. How would you describe the threat to vulnerable homes in the
00:59Hatteras area? That is a certainty in Rodanthe. We've had a history here the past couple of years
01:07of houses collapsing into the Atlantic, and I think we're going to see some more instances
01:13of that, certainly with this storm. What have past storms taught us about how far off hurricanes
01:21with large waves and coastal flooding can still cause such damage? Absolutely. It's, you know, this
01:30hurricane's a thousand miles away and we're already seeing a lot of water on the move. It's
01:37paradise, but at the same time, kind of ominous because you know that the waves are going to
01:44increase very quickly. There's an evacuation in effect, but it's, we're bracing for water.
01:53As an island historian, what are your concerns about how Hurricane Aaron could impact both the
01:57landscape and the community in Dare County? Right now, we're in the process of evacuating about
02:0440,000 people from two islands, Hatteras and Ocracoke, but looking back and putting this in
02:10perspective with other storms, yes, well, it remains to be seen, but it's, it's just, it's, it's a fact of
02:17life here. As, as the old Eagles song goes, every form of refuge has its price, and we, we live with that.
02:26Forward Air County Commissioner and Local Historian Danny Couch, thank you so much again for joining us on
02:31Macchio there early and providing your expertise to us here and our viewers as well. Stay safe.
02:35Thanks for all you do.
Comments