DARE COUNTY, N.C. — As Hurricane Idalia prepares to make landfall, North Carolina leaders have declared a state of emergency as a tropical storm watch has been issued for the Outer Banks.
Dare County officials said they're most concerned about the high tide and rough water, and they are calling this week a great test of the millions poured into maintaining North Carolina Highway 12.
"Confidence is high that Idalia will blow pretty quickly through," said Dare County Commissioner Danny Couch.
That doesn’t mean other factors won’t pose a threat to the Outer Banks, according to Couch.
"You have a super moon coming tomorrow night, big full moon. You have a King Tide, which is pushing a lot of water this way. Thirdly, you have Hurricane Franklin offshore."
He called this weekend a test for the flood prone areas of Highway 12.
"Will Highway 12 hold up? We hope so. We're looking forward to the test," he said.
In the last few years, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has spent nearly half a billion dollars on the highway. Much of that has gone towards repairing and maintaining vulnerable portions of the road and building new bridges, like the $154 million Rodanthe Bridge, better known as the 'jug handle bridge.'
That officially opened last year, and Couch said this is the bridge’s first big test, as well.
"It has eliminated an entire stretch that we know as Mirlo Beach. It was as bad as it gets," he said.
Couch said crews have been hard at work in what he calls the last hot spot on Pea Island, preparing for possible flooding this week.
"Now, North Carolina Department of Transportation, these guys are able to concentrate all their efforts into this last problem area on the northern beaches. We don’t have to play whack a mole anymore. We don't have to have our fingers in the dike, we're going to deal specifically with the canal zone. So, when you take all those resources and apply them to one area, that's when you get results," he said.
Couch also said they’re watching the vulnerable homes in Rodanthe with the high tide and rough surf.
Multiple homes have already collapsed or have been condemned in the area. Couch said the homes still standing will also have to pass a test to see how well they hold up.
Though, he said they feel ready for whatever the rest of the week brings.
"We've been at this a long time. The North Carolina Department of Transportation, the guys in division one here, which is our northeastern sector, I'll put them up against anybody. They're as good as anybody from California to Maine, Florida to Washington State. They know what they're doing," Couch said.