Upon the recommendation of Northampton County Sheriff Wardie Vincent, the State of Emergency declared in the county has been amended and a countywide curfew will be imposed beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday and continuing until further notice.

Meanwhile, as Hurricane Irene pummels the Roanoke-Chowan area, Northampton County officials are urging citizens to stay off the roads.

According Gary Brown, spokesperson for the Northampton County Emergency Operations Center, should stay off the roads as the storm moves through.

“Please, do not attempt to travel in this weather, stay put,” he said.

Brown added there are risks for injuries while traveling on the county’s roadways as rain and wind from the hurricane continues to increase.

Brown said the suspension of alcohol sales was enacted at 7 a.m. Saturday.

As of 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Brown said there were no reports of damage or flooding within the county.

“We do know there are trees down in the southeastern portion of the county, some around the lake (Lake Gaston) and the Jackson area,” he said.

Brown said there are power outages in Conway and along NC 35 around Potecasi as well as sporadic electric outages in Garysburg and south of that town on US 301.