Emergency management officials and the state Highway Patrol don’t expect the storm to hamper the Labor Day holiday weekend.
The state Highway Patrol barracks in Roanoke Rapids has sent one trooper to Morehead City to help with evacuation efforts there, Sergeant R.E. Dudley said today.
With no major affects expected from Earl, Dudley said the Highway Patrol expects normal holiday enforcement efforts starting Friday. “I’m sure we’ll wolf pack certain areas. We may conduct some checking stations, the stuff we normally do on the weekend.”
Troopers will be cracking down on speeders and aggressive drivers.
Last year, there were 1,026 crashes, 456 injuries and seven fatalities investigated by the Highway Patrol statewide during the holiday period. Aggressive drivers account for the majority of the traffic collisions that occur on the state roadways.The Labor Day holiday weekend officially begins at 6 p.m. on Friday and ends at midnight Monday. Citizens can report highway problems to the Patrol by dialing *HP (*47) on their cell phones.
Meanwhile, Tina Hinton, emergency management coordinator for the county, said Earl should not have any affect in the area. “We might not get any rain.”Wind gusts are expected to be between 30 to 35 miles per hour.
Hinton said emergency management officials will begin tracking Tropical Storm Gustav next week, which is expected to follow the same pattern as Earl.
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