OUTER BANKS, N.C. (WVEC) — As Tropical Storm Michael blasted the Outer Banks with wind and rain, soundside flooding left dozens of drivers stranded overnight.
Officials closed the Nags Head-Manteo Causeway overnight Thursday as the road washed over with water.
“Myself and about maybe about a half-dozen cars ... ended up camping on the bridge for about three hours,” said driver Daniel Daughtery.
In Dare County, winds reached up to 70 miles an hour, with soundside flooding up to four feet deep.
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Driver Gary Mauney tried to drive south along NC 12 overnight to the town of Waves when he had to retreat to a 7-Eleven parking lot.
“When I tried to drive through it, it would come up over the windshield and I was afraid the car might turn off or the water could envelop the car and the waters on sort of both sides of the road,” said Mauney.
“It would be real easy for it to carry away and not worth the risk.”
Mauney and other drivers were stranded for several hours. Officials reported overwash at multiple spots along NC 12.
“There was a good bit of wind about halfway here and then the tree down, the power transformer lines down slowed me down, and I would have made it if I would have beat it by 30 to 40 minutes — and I didn’t,” said Mauney.
By Friday morning, Dominion Energy crews were repairing power lines and NCDOT crews were cleaning up debris from the roadway.
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