Charlotte man preparing to ride out Isaias in Cape Hatteras

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - People living along the North Carolina coast who chosen not to evacuate are bracing for Isaias.

Charlotte local John Fay has been living at his family’s home on Cape Hatteras, which is an area currently under mandatory evacuations. He is choosing to hunker down and ride out the storm.

Fay says he has done all he can to prepare, even helping his friend who is currently building a house to make sure it is set up to handle strong winds.

FULL COVERAGE: Isaias expected to make landfall as a hurricane in the Carolinas

He says the area went from being crowded with tourists looking for a safe vacation during the pandemic, to eerily empty.

“I decided to ride it out,” Fay said. “I obviously had some work to do at the house. We’re more sound side, so the storm surge flooding can really be an issue. I’ve been getting everything off the ground, making sure the cars are pulled up high on hills to get them out of the way if water were to rise. I’ve also been getting things off the floor in the house, just worst case scenario, preparing for that.”

He says his neighbor has a boat they have used for transportation to get through flood waters after past storms like Hurricane Dorian.

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