Hurricane Dorian shifts north, threatens the Carolinas
Evacuations are ordered in North Carolina, but lifted in some parts of Florida.
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island started the evacuation of recruits to Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Ga., Sept. 3. The decision to evacuate is due to Hurricane Dorian and the expected impacts of destructive weather in the region. Photo by Sgt. Dana Beesley
Hurricane Dorian picked up its stride and turned northward Tuesday, putting the Carolinas at greater risk from the storm, which had weakened to a Category 2.
Evacuation orders have affected about 7.5 million people in four states, including about 2.8 million credit union members, from North Carolina’s Outer Banks to Palm Beach, Fla.
On Tuesday, Florida lifted evacuation orders for Highlands, Indian River and Martin counties, while North Carolina ordered evacuations staged from Tuesday to Wednesday in four coastal counties.
The counties in the North Carolina evacuation zone have about 289,000 residents, according to 2018 Census estimates, and as many as 269,000 credit union members based on branch distribution. Credit union members might seem like a large percentage of the population, but the two largest credit unions in the area cater to the military, which has major bases in the area and whose personnel are not included in the Census’ Current Population Survey.
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