NEW BERN, N.C. (WITN) – New Bern is enjoying calm waters on Thursday, but residents know how quickly conditions can change.
“I’ve seen all of downtown New Bern flooded out, before they built this pier here,” resident Louis Bunting says. “The water was waist-deep.”
This year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there’s a 55% chance of a below-normal hurricane season for the Atlantic basin.
Forecasters say there remains a 35% chance of a near-normal season, while only a 10% chance of an above-normal season.
Even then, New Bern residents are staying cautious.
“Every time a storm comes through eastern North Carolina, this particular location is going to have some sort of damage. It’s in the lowest-lying area of downtown, so we’re kind of always prepared.” Front Street Fish Co. owner Trey McGovern says.
He says he remembers devastating losses from past hurricanes.
“My family home was completely destroyed during Floyd in 1999, and then in 2018, when Florence came through, it devastated my current home as well. After the storm had passed, I kayaked down my driveway about a quarter of a mile just to get to my house,” McGovern says.
NOAA is forecasting a total of eight to 14 named storms with winds of 39 miles per hour or higher.
Of those, three to six are forecasted to become hurricanes, including one to three major hurricanes.
“We are having maybe a low prediction for storms, but always in the back of our minds, being prepared. We just have to keep an eye on that weather and when it comes, act accordingly,” McGovern says.
According to NOAA, the average hurricane season has 14 named storms with seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.
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