McCrory said Highway 12, the 50-mile (80-km) road connecting Hatteras Island to the mainland, had been flooded and covered with sand in some areas.
Tourists and some residents had packed ferries and crowded Highway 12 as people were ordered off the North Carolina barrier islands, though some people stayed behind to look after their homes. Arthur is the first hurricane to hit the United States since Superstorm Sandy devastated parts of New York and New Jersey in October 2012, causing an estimated $70 billion in damage.
Tropical storm warnings or watches were in effect from North Carolina to Canada’s Prince Edward Island. Arthur is expected to become a post-tropical cyclone on Friday night or Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said.
North Carolina was putting heavy equipment in place to remove sand and overwash quickly after Arthur passed. Hundreds of military and state police officials were deployed to help with storm preparation, safety and evacuation efforts.
(Additional reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; David Adams in Miami, Ted Siefer in New Hampshire, Richard Weizel in Connecticut, and Sandra Maler in Washington, D.C.; Writing by David Adams and Eric M. Johnson; Editing by James Dalgleish and Leslie Adler)
Article Appeared @http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/04/us-storm-arthur-idUSKBN0F90IW20140704