Talk about a downer! This 4th of July, it seems like every front page is talking about Arthur.
Arthur — as in the hurricane — was upgraded to a Category 2 storm Thursday night. And that had some vacationers rethinking their itineraries.
"If the pressure is going down, the storm is getting stronger. If the pressure is going up, that means the storm is dying. We haven't seen any dying indication yet." (Via CNN)
Arthur touched North Carolina's shores late Thursday night with winds at 100 miles per hour. Just days ago, vacationers couldn't care less about the hurricane, ignoring warnings of rip currents and the governor's advice to take the storm seriously.
Now people might be feeling less adventurous, with some even seeking shelter. (Twitter /@SamWalkerOBX)
A mandatory evacuation order was issued to Dare County's Hatteras island residents on Thursday. Flooding and the loss of electricity were the primary concerns. (Via WRAL)
Fox News reports about 22,000 people lost power across the state early Friday morning.
Officials are now facing the difficult task of conveying the seriousness of the storm without scaring away tourists.
TheL.A. Times estimates around 200,000 tourists have traveled to North Carolina's islands for the holiday weekend. The executive director of the Outer Banks Visitor's Bureau said the worst of the storm was supposed to occur between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. Friday morning.
Luckily for them, a reported 80% of beach rentals are weekly, meaning the fireworks shows could have most of its usual crowds. (ViaL.A. Times)
