OUTER BANKS, N.C. - With Hurricane Arthur headed to the coast of North Carolina, Virginians who traveled to the Outer Banks for the July 4 weekend were forced to make a decision. Should we stay or should we go?
"We've never seen a hurricane at the beach," Farmville resident Susan Patterson said with a slight laugh.
Patterson and her family packed up and left the Outer Banks Thursday morning. She said her family planned to leave Thursday all along. She said had their vacation been longer, they would have stayed and weathered the storm.
It's a decision thousands of tourists and Outer Banks residents had to make this week.
Many employees at Miller's Steak and Seafood in Kill Devil Hills said residents tend to stay and hope for the best,.
"But you never know," one server said.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered along parts of the North Carolina coast.
Click here for live updates on Hurricane Arthur. Click here to track Arthur using Interactive Hurricane Tracker.
