text: hurricane emily ( 1993 ) hurricane emily in 1993 caused record flooding in the outer banks of north carolina while remaining just offshore . the fifth named storm and first hurricane of the year 's hurricane season , emily developed from a tropical wave northeast of the lesser antilles on august 22 . it moved northwestward and strengthened into a tropical storm on august 25 , after becoming nearly stationary southeast of bermuda . emily then curved to the southwest but quickly resumed its northwest trajectory while strengthening into a hurricane . late on august 31 , the hurricane reached peak winds of 115 mph ( 185 km / h ) on its approach to north carolina . although part of the eye passed over hatteras island in the outer banks , its absolute center remained 23 mi ( 37 km / h ) offshore . gradually weakening , the hurricane swerved away from the coast toward the northeast and later east . emily stalled again , this time northeast of bermuda , and dissipated on september 6 to the southeast of newfoundland . the threat of emily prompted hurricane warnings for much of the north carolina coast and northward through delaware . a mandatory evacuation for ocracoke and hatteras islands displaced 160 , 000 people during the busy labor day weekend ; the loss in tourism revenue amounted to $ 10 million ( 1993 usd ) . about 1 , 600 residents on these islands rode out the storm in their homes , and emergency officials stayed behind . most of the evacuees went to hotels or stayed with friends or relatives , causing an increase in business across southeastern virginia , where effects were minimal . due to uncertainty in forecasting emily 's path , there were also evacuations from the coasts of virginia , maryland , delaware , and fire island in new york . while bypassing the outer banks , emily produced strong winds that coincided with high tides during a full moon , causing severe flooding along the pamlico sound . in buxton , the floods left behind water marks as high as 10 . 54 ft ( 3 . 21 m ) , and the entire villages of avon and hatteras were inundated . the storm downed thousands of trees and wrecked 553 homes — 168 of which completely destroyed — leaving a quarter of the cape hatteras population homeless . structural damage in north carolina was estimated at $ 35 million . along the coasts of north carolina and virginia , three swimmers drowned as a result of emily . meteorological history hurricane emily originated from an african tropical wave that passed through the cape verde islands on august 17 , 1993 . the wave traversed the tropical atlantic and developed a closed cyclonic circulation five days later about 800 miles ( 1 , 300 km ) east - northeast of puerto rico , when the national hurricane center ( nhc ) classified it as a tropical depression . moving northwestward , the depression remained poorly organized for several days , with an ill - defined circulation center and sporadic thunderstorms , in part due to unfavorable wind shear from an upper - level low to its north . on august 25 , the depression became nearly stationary in response to weakening steering currents . as the upper environment turned less hostile to development , a reconnaissance aircraft found unusually high sustained winds — an indication that the cyclone had quickly strengthened into a strong tropical storm . the nhc named the storm emily and upgraded it to a hurricane the following day , based on reports of 75 mph ( 120 km / h ) winds from a second reconnaissance mission . upon becoming a hurricane , emily was centered roughly 1 , 000 mi ( 1 , 600 km ) east of the florida peninsula , passing well south of bermuda . a ridge of high pressure began to mature to its north , forcing the hurricane westward on august 27 . emily 's winds vacillated between tropical storm and hurricane force over the course of the day , although the cyclone resumed its strengthening by august 28 upon developing favorable upper - level outflow . traversing warm sea surface temperatures , the hurricane continued to improve in appearance on satellite images , and the barometric pressure within its eye steadily decreased . emily retraced toward the northwest on august 29 , when a shortwave trough eroded the southern periphery of the contiguous ridge . the nhc expressed uncertainty in forecasting emily 's track , stating that south carolina , north carolina , and mid - atlantic states were at risk of a direct hit from the hurricane . as high pressure re - established itself off the north carolina coast , emily briefly turned west - northwestward on august 30 before initiating a prolonged curve toward the north . by that time , the nhc forecast emily to remain offshore , though one tropical cyclone forecast model projected that the hurricane would move inland . early on august 31 , a reconnaissance flight indicated that emily had become a category 2 hurricane on the saffir – simpson scale , and further intensification was expected because of warm waters . later that day , reconnaissance reported that emily had achieved a peak intensity of 115 mph ( 185 km / h ) , a category 3 major hurricane ; the aircraft also observed flight - level winds of 152 mph ( 245 km / h ) . at its peak , the center of the hurricane was located 23 mi ( 37 km ) east of hatteras island while turning northward . its eye measured 45 mi ( 75 km ) in diameter , and a portion moved over hatteras and the pamlico sound , constituting a direct hit but not a landfall . after affecting the outer banks , emily continued around the large high - pressure area , turning northeastward into an area with cooler ocean temperatures . the eye nonetheless remained distinct , and emily maintained much of its intensity through september 2 . later that day , the hurricane turned sharply eastward in response to a trough nearby . wind shear over the region increased , weakening emily as its eye feature quickly dissipated . emily turned to the southeast and diminished to a tropical storm on september 3 , about 500 mi ( 800 km ) northeast of bermuda , with a significant deterioration of the convection . once again becoming nearly stationary , emily further weakened to a tropical depression late on september 4 , after only a small area of thunderstorms remained near the center . it accelerated toward the northeast and became extratropical on september 6 , dissipating shortly thereafter . preparations the nhc forecasts for emily were generally accurate . on august 29 , two days before the storm 's closest approach , the nhc issued a hurricane watch from cape romain , south carolina , to fenwick island , delaware , including the albemarle and pamlico sounds of north carolina as well as the chesapeake bay south of the patuxent river . the next day , the watch was discontinued south of little river , south carolina . a hurricane warning was issued from bogue inlet to the border of north carolina and virginia on august 30 , and was extended a day later to cape henlopen , delaware . the watches and warnings were canceled as emily turned out to sea . during the week when emily approached shore , the north carolina government was scheduled to have a two - day emergency management exercise involving a hurricane strike ; the storm caused the exercise to be postponed . on august 29 , a voluntary evacuation was issued for the outer banks , and within 36 hours of the storm 's approach , a mandatory evacuation was issued for ocracoke and hatteras island . a total of 160 , 000 people ( mostly tourists ) evacuated from the outer banks , representing about 90 % of the population there . the evacuation was completed within 12 hours , expedited by highway patrol and making u.s. route 158 and the wright memorial bridge only one direction , away from the coast . about 1 , 000 residents on hatteras island and another 600 on ocracoke rode out the storm in their homes . the united states coast guard evacuated personnel to the mainland , leaving behind a skeleton crew to maintain their facilities . the national park service closed the campground on ocracoke two days before the storm . several towns in southeastern north carolina were also evacuated , and schools closed across the region . because of the uncertainty in forecasting when and if emily would make its northeast turn , virginia governor douglas wilder declared a state of emergency and put the national guard on alert . in virginia beach , residents of seaside homes and low - lying areas were recommended to evacuate , while a mandatory evacuation was ordered for tangier island in the chesapeake bay . residents in mobile homes and on campgrounds were also advised to seek shelter . at least 750 people left their homes , 711 of whom resided in storm shelters . the norfolk international airport was closed for 13 hours , and rail service was suspended . to the north , officials in ocean city , maryland , declared a phase - one emergency ahead of the storm ; beaches were closed , and tourists were recommended to leave . about 100 , 000 people evacuated from the coast of maryland ; 3 , 600 stayed in storm shelters . in delaware , 892 people used storm shelters after voluntarily evacuating . beaches in new jersey closed due to threatening waves . about 20 , 000 people also evacuated from fire island , new york . across the atlantic coast , 33 emergency shelters were opened in response to emily , though most evacuees instead relied on hotels or the homes of friends and relatives to ride out the storm . the federal emergency management agency ( fema ) assisted in coordinating preparations for emily . the united states department of defense sent power equipment , previously used during the great flood of 1993 , to fort bragg , while the united states department of agriculture stockpiled food in risk zones . power companies deliberately shut off the power in the outer banks to reduce damage to the system and mitigate the risk of electrocutions . at naval station norfolk , 28 ships sailed out to sea to ride out the storm ; aircraft were evacuated , and nonessential personnel were sent home . the north carolina government announced ahead of the storm that it would not create a state disaster fund , instead relying on private relief organizations such as the american red cross and the salvation army . the state 's park service pre - positioned 60 members with chainsaws to help clear downed trees . because emily hit during the busy labor day weekend , the tourism industry suffered about $ 10 million in business losses . many of the evacuees relocated to southeastern virginia , which saw greatly increased business during the weekend . impact north carolina as emily approached the outer banks of north carolina , diamond shoal light off cape hatteras recorded 2 - minute sustained winds of 99 mph ( 159 km / h ) , along with gusts of 147 mph ( 237 km / h ) . closer to shore , surface winds reached 115 mph ( 185 km / h ) in the pamlico sound . the national weather service in buxton reported sustained winds of 60 mph ( 96 km / h ) , with gusts to 98 mph ( 158 km / h ) , before the wind recording instrument failed due to water intrusion . a reliable but unofficial wind station at a commercial building reported a gust of 107 mph ( 172 km / h ) . these high winds lasted for several hours due to the storm 's slow movement . there were two possible tornadoes in the outer banks region . on the south side of hatteras island , the storm coincided with high tides , producing a peak storm surge of 10 . 2 ft ( 3 . 1 m ) in buxton . large waves caused moderate beach erosion , comparable to that of a winter storm . the heaviest rainfall related to emily occurred over the outer banks , where a peak total of 7 . 51 in ( 191 mm ) was recorded in buxton . minimal rain fell farther inland , with only 1 . 00 in ( 25 mm ) reported at gum neck in mainland tyrrell county . overall damage from the storm was lighter than expected , largely confined to the barrier islands of dare and hyde counties . severe flooding from the storm affected a 17 mi ( 27 km ) stretch of the hatteras island . coinciding with high tides during a full moon , the hurricane 's winds pushed water from the pamlico sound to the south , lowering levels along the mainland and inundating the barrier islands ; surge flooding was minor on the ocean side . at frisco and hatteras , water levels along the pamlico sound reached 8 . 5 ft ( 2 . 6 m ) above normal — their highest in the 20th century , surpassing those in hurricane gloria eight years prior . these water levels may have been the highest in the region since the 1899 san ciriaco hurricane . in buxton , the waters rose 3 to 4 ft ( 0 . 9 to 1 m ) per hour at one point , leaving behind flood marks as high as 10 . 54 ft ( 3 . 21 m ) . the entire villages of avon and hatteras were inundated . only the highest dunes along the cape hatteras national seashore remained dry , and a section of dunes just north of buxton was nearly breached . the waters — 1 to 2 ft ( 0 . 3 to 0 . 6 m ) higher than the predicted 100 - year flood — broke through windows and entered houses ; some residents who did not exit their homes had to ride out the storm in their attics to escape the flooding . officials at the dare county emergency operations center evacuated due to intrusion of floodwaters . the cape hatteras national weather service office was flooded for the first time since its inception in 1957 , and sustained damage to its rain chart and an antenna . many boats in marinas were wrecked , and hundreds of cars floated away from parking lots or streets ; flooded police cars had their emergency lights activated after the wires were damaged . farther south , impact from the storm was limited on ocracoke island . emily 's winds destroyed several roofs and knocked down thousands of trees and power lines , with many signs and sheds damaged . all towns south of the bonner bridge were without power , affecting at least 1 , 500 people , and buxton lost water supply after the main water line was damaged . the combination of strong winds and floods left 553 homes uninhabitable in the outer banks , with 168 houses completely destroyed , including three that were washed away . six of the destroyed homes were owned by the coast guard . the heaviest damage was largely in older homes or structures not up to code . about 25 % of the hatteras population was left homeless . the cape hatteras school sustained about $ 3 . 1 million in damage , after flooding 4 ft ( 1 . 2 m ) deep destroyed computers and textbooks . tidal floods , sand , and debris forced authorities to close highway 12 . traffic lights along the route were damaged , and downed trees blocked the road in two areas . , some the size of three cars , developed along the route . throughout north carolina , damage from the storm was estimated at $ 35 million , mostly on hatteras island and chiefly to the south of avon . rough surf killed two people in nags head , despite the beach being closed to swimming , and one person suffered injuries while escaping a flooded home . elsewhere outside of north carolina , emily produced gusts of 37 mph ( 59 km ) at the chesapeake bay bridge – tunnel . to the north of the storm , ocean city , maryland , measured 2 . 80 in ( 71 mm ) of precipitation . above - normal tides were reported as far south as charleston , south carolina ; high tides also spread farther north , with a storm surge of 1 . 2 ft ( 0 . 37 m ) at the chesapeake bay bridge – tunnel and 0 . 6 ft ( 0 . 18 m ) in lewes , delaware . high waves caused beach erosion northward through virginia . at virginia beach , the waves led to minor flooding along the sandbridge section ; rough surf and a strong undertow drowned one swimmer there . the storm triggered statewide power outages that affected about 5 , 000 residents , as well as the hampton roads bridge – tunnel . in newport news , lightning set a roof on fire in the lee hall section of the city . emily 's light rains in the area were not enough to break a prolonged drought that plagued virginia . rough seas and high tides later caused coastal flooding along fire island in new york . aftermath as emily 's winds eased over land , various assessment teams left fort bragg , north carolina , to determine the extent of damage . fema informed the north carolina congressional delegation about the storm 's threat to their constituents . the agency later received compliments for their timely preparations for storm - related operations . all airports on the outer banks were reopened by september 1 . in response to the extensive scale of the power outages , power companies flew a helicopter over the region to assess the damage . the power was expected to be out for two weeks . six emergency vehicles were sent to dare county to provide drinking water . on september 3 , governor jim hunt declared a state of disaster for north carolina , while president bill clinton declared dare county a disaster area a week later . this allowed residents there to apply for federal assistance , as well as local governments to request aid to rebuild public buildings . operating out of avon , fema distributed about $ 1 million in housing assistance to 444 people and provided $ 400 , 000 in individual grants to 153 applicants . the small business administration received 812 applications for small business loans . shelters closed by september 1 and residents returned to their homes , although hatteras island remained off - limits to everyone but emergency workers for several days . unemployment across hatteras rose in the wake of the damage to local businesses , and many restaurants lost product when their refrigerators failed during the power outages . residents piled debris from their damaged homes on roads , primarily highway 12 , and workers responded by clearing the debris . the highway was speedily reopened and repaired at a cost of around $ 1 million . within two weeks of the storm , businesses resumed as cleaning work was under way , and the island was reopened to tourists . clean - up operations in the region lasted weeks to months . in the three months after the storm , saltwater intrusion into the cape hatteras water supply boosted chlorine levels from 40 milligrams ( 0 . 0014 ounces ) to 280 milligrams ( 0 . 01 ounces ) per liter ; it took another three months for the chlorine to decrease to normal concentrations . around 50 homeowners affected by emily raised their houses to prevent a recurrence , partially funded by flood insurance payments .