'People need to stay out of the ocean': Dare County under state of emergency

Dare County remains under a state of Emergency as Hurricane Erin makes its way north. WRAL has crews in that area who have been showing us deteriorating conditions. Dare County Emergency Management Director Drew Pearson joins WRAL to talk about the plans made for any potential recovery efforts from the storm.
Posted 8/20/2025, 5:18:00 PM Updated 8/20/2025, 6:39:22 PM

ALONG THE COAST. WE'RE WATCHING

CLOSELY FOR THAT AS IT

DEVELOPS.

THEY'RE COUNTY REMAINS UNDER A

STATE OF EMERGENCY AS AIR MAKES

ITS WAY NORTH. AND WE HAVE

CREWS THAT ARE IN THE AREA WHO

HAVE BEEN SHOWING US THE

DETERIORATING CONDITIONS.

AND JOINING US TO TALK A LITTLE

BIT ABOUT THE PLANS TO RECOVER

FROM THE STORM. IS THERE COUNTY

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR

DREW PEARSON, THANK YOU SO MUCH

FOR JOINING US THIS AFTERNOON.

DREW.

>> CHRIS, THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

AND I LOOK FORWARD TO GIVE ME

SOME INFORMATION. BUT THE

RECOVERY WAS TALK ABOUT RUSSIAN

CONDITIONS. FIRST, WE NEED TO

KEEP PEOPLE OUT OF THE OCEAN IN

THEIR COUNTY. WE HAVE DOUBLE

RED FLAGS FLYING. PEOPLE NEED

TO STAY OUT OF THE OCEAN

ANYWHERE. NORTH CAROLINA.

IT'S A LIFE-THREATENING RISK.

WE ARE READY FOR THE STORM TO

COME. WE HAVE A MANDATORY

EVACUATION IN PLACE. PEOPLE

HAVE LEFT OUR CREWS ON HATTERAS

ISLAND OR VOLUNTEER FIRE

DEPARTMENTS, EVERYBODY WHO'S

THERE TO RESPOND AS THE STORM

COMES THROUGH OR IT COULD HELP

PEOPLE INSULATE CAN OPEN ANY

LONGER. AND THEN WE'RE READY TO

START THE RECOVERY PROCESS.

WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS, NC

DOT TO GET THE ROAD OPEN.

GET THE THE COMMUNITIES TAKING

CARE OF THEIR DAMAGE

ASSESSMENTS DONE AND THEN GET

PEOPLE IN THERE TO HELP THOSE

PEOPLE THAT NEED HELP AS

QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

>> DREW, YOU SAID PEOPLE NEED

TO STAY OUT OF THE WATER AND WE

EVEN KNOW THAT THERE HAVE BEEN

RESCUES PERFORMED E IT. DO YOU

THINK PEOPLE ARE REALLY LIKE

LISTENING TO THESE WARNINGS IN

THE AREA AND ACTUALLY NEED TO

LEAVE?

>> I CAN. I CAN ONLY TALK ABOUT

THEIR COUNTY. WE HAD TO.

VERY FEW RESCUES. WE'VE PUT A

SWING AND PROVISION IN PLACE

BACK ON SUNDAY. WE'VE BEEN A

FINE DOUBLE RED FLAGS FOR

SEVERAL DAYS WHERE PEOPLE ARE

ABIDING BY HERE IN BEXAR

COUNTY. BUT IT'S NOT JUST THEIR

COUNTY WHERE THE OCEANS ROCKETS

ALL ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA

COAST. I JUST ENCOURAGE

EVERYBODY TO STAY OUT OF THE

OCEAN IS LIFE-THREATENING.

>> LASTLY, WE KNOW THAT THERE

ARE WE KNOW THAT THE AIR FORCE

IS PREPARED. STAND BY IF THEY

NEED TO HAVE SOME ASSETS THERE

TO HELP PEOPLE HOW TO MAKE, YOU

KNOW, HAS TO MAKE YOU FEEL

KNOWING THAT THERE ARE

ADDITIONAL RESOURCE OUTSIDE THE

COUNTY PREPARED TO HELP OUT IF

THAT NEED IT. IF THAT'S NEEDED.

>> CHRIS, AS ALWAYS, I'M SO

HAPPY TO THE NORTH CAROLINIAN

AND HAVE THEIR MISSING FOLKS IN

NORTH CAROLINA. EMERGENCY

MANAGEMENT STANDING BEHIND US

READY TO HELP US WHEN WE NEED

IT. ONE OF THOSE WITH THOSE

WERE FOR THE RESCUE TEAMS.

YEAH, HELICOPTERS, THOSE

AVIATION ASSETS. I KNOW THEY'RE

THERE AND THEY'RE READY FOR US.

AND WE TRULY APPRECIATE THEM

EACH AND EVERY DAY.

>> DARE COUNTY EMERGENCY

MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR DREW

PEARSON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR

JOINING US THIS AFTERNOON.