Hertford County officials have declared a local State of Emergency effective at 8 a.m. today (Saturday) as the wind and rain from Hurricane Matthew intensify in eastern North Carolina.

A storm shelter will open at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Hertford County High School in Ahoskie.

While forecasters with the National Hurricane Center still expect Matthew, which made landfall this morning at 11 a.m. near Charleston, SC as a Category 1 storm (winds of 75 mph), to make a sharp turn east and out over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean later today and into Sunday, its outer bands are impacting the eastern and central areas of North Carolina.

Rainfall estimates for the Roanoke-Chowan area over the next 12 to 24 hours range between four to ten inches.

A flash flood watch has been issued for the entire R-C area until 2 p.m. on Sunday. Low lying areas that typically flood will be impacted.

Winds from Hurricane Matthew are expected to intensify today. A wind advisory goes into effect at 6 p.m. today until 2 p.m. on Sunday. North to northeast winds in the 20 to 35 mph range with gusts of 40 to 50 mph are expected during that time period. That type of wind is capable of knocking down trees and limbs, which may lead to power outages.

A flood warning remains in effect for the Cashie River near Windsor. Moderate flooding is expected. The river is expected to rise to 12.8 feet by Monday. Flood stage is 8 feet. At 12 feet, portions of downtown Windsor are flooded. Major flooding occurs when the river rises to 13 feet and above.

A storm shelter is currently open at Bertie High School.