RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper met with Emergency Management officials about Hurricane Ian Friday and gave the Tar Heel state an update about the severe weather.
Back on Wednesday, he issued a state of emergency for the hurricane.
"This storm can still be dangerous and even deadly," Cooper warned North Carolinians.
Cooper urged residents to prepare for torrents of rain, high winds and potential power outages.
Cooper said adjustments to the projected path of Ian could bring more trouble to central and eastern North Carolina than earlier believed. But he said the state’s emergency equipment and services have been staged to maximize flexibility.
He warned residents statewide to remain vigilant, given that up to 8 inches of rain could fall in some areas, with high winds.
More than 55,000 customers in North Carolina were without power as of mid-afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us, which aggregates outages nationwide.
The outer bands of what remains of Ian were hitting the Outer Banks Friday afternoon.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.