KITTY HAWK, N.C. — North Carolina is under a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Debby makes its way northbound and closer to the Outer Banks.
Dominion Energy crews prepared Tuesday morning for the storm, packing up their trucks and securing their equipment as major flooding, heavy rain, and power outages are all possible.
"We have crews working around the clock; when a storm comes in like this we usually have people working 24 hours a day," said Jason Kimble, a supervisor with Dominion Energy. "It's an all hands on deck kind of situation."
Kimble said about 40 men and women are standing by to respond in the Outer Banks area, and even more are standing by in Virginia, as the state is also under a state of emergency.
While Kimble said the worst storm he's ever responded to was Hurricane Irene in 2011, he is still urging people to take this storm seriously. Those who do not can often get in the way of energy crews and first responders for where they need to go.
"We see people out wading in the water, or out on surfboards in the streets," said Joshua Gray with Dominion Energy. "The best thing to do is to stay out of that water because you don't know what's in it, there could be a power line underneath the water, really anything can happen."
Kitty Hawk town leaders are also urging both locals and visitors to stay off the beaches and to stay informed with OBX alerts.
Lauren Garrett, a spokeswoman with the town, said most families should have a hurricane prep plan in place for situations just like this.
"The category of a storm is determined by wind speed alone and does not account for the deadliness impacts of storm surges and flooding," said Garrett. "We want everyone to be safe, and to stay home if possible."
If you see a downed power line, assume it is live and report it immediately to 866-366-4357.
The utility company urges customers to report and track outages on the Dominion Energy app or online.