Pender County News

Although Hurricane Irene hit beach communities like Topsail Island pretty hard, there are not many reports of major damage. Full story...

Upon recommendation of the state health director, the NC Division of Marine Fisheries will temporarily close all coastal waters to shellfish harvesting effective immediately, due to potential impacts of floodwaters on these areas. Full story...

HERE IS THE LATEST INFORMATION ON DEBRIS REMOVAL FROM CITIES, TOWNS AND COUNTIES FROM ACROSS OUR AREA: Full story...

Progress Energy said Saturday afternoon 280,000 customers in North Carolina had no electricity. As of 11 a.m. Monday, that number was down to 91,300, including 10,100 in Onslow. New Hanover County had 2,200 homes and business still in the dark. That's down from about 7,000 Sunday night. Pender County has 1,500 outages. There are still 940 Progress Energy customers without power in Columbus County and 385 in Brunswick. Full story...

Have photos of Hurricane Irene? Send them to us at pictures@wwaytv3.com, and we'll post them online. CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE GALLERY INSIDE Full story...

Hurricane Irene finally moved out of North Carolina over night, but its effects are still being felt. As of 7 p.m., Progress Energy says 124,507 of its customers in eastern North Carolina still do not have power. That is significantly lower than the peak level of outages, which was 280,000 customers at 2 p.m. Saturday. Full story...

The impact of Hurricane Irene will be felt for at least one more day in Pender County as students get an extra day off from school. Pender County Schools will be closed Monday. Full story...

Hurricane Irene may have claimed a life in North Carolina. Crews have continued their search for 27-year-old Melton Robinson in the Northeast Cape Fear River near Castle Hayne. Earlier Saturday morning the search had to be postponed because of the poor conditions caused by Hurricane Irene. Full story...

The Red Cross has closed some of the evacuation shelters opened yesterday for Hurricane Irene. All residents staying at these shelters have safely returned to their homes. Full story...

Four County Electric Membership Corporation is reporting approximately 10,000 customers without power as of 11:00 a.m. this morning as high winds have caused scattered outages throughout the entire system. Full story...

Hurricane Irene has left thousands of Cape Fear residents without power. If a power outage is 2 hours or less, you need not be concerned about losing your perishable foods. For prolonged power outages, though, there are steps you can take to minimize food loss and to keep all members of your household as comfortable as possible. Full story...

Irene looks to have landfall around 7:30 am Saturday just west of Cape Lookout, NC. The storm was a category one at the time, with maximum sustained winds of around 85 mph. The storm will continue to pull away from our area through the night, and be replaced by a hot and humid Sunday with a mix of sun and few clouds with light winds! Full story...

The Burgaw Middle School shelter in Pender County has opened up additional space, with more than 90 residents. This is the only shelter which allows pets. Full story...

What is it about hurricanes that draws surfers to the shore like moths to the flame? When everyone else is wringing their hands about a coming hurricane, some surfers respond with glee. Full story...

Hurricane Irene has already prompted voluntary evacuations for many parts of our area. That's led counties to open emergency shelters for people and animals. SEE THE LIST INSIDE Full story...