 Evacuation orders began on September 16 , when officials issued a voluntary evacuation for portions of four counties and one entire county . By around 24 hours before landfall , mandatory evacuations were ordered for eight counties , all of which but one were for the entire counties . All coastal counties from Cape Fear northward were under a mandatory evacuation . A survey of 603 residents in northeastern North Carolina indicated 57 % of residents along the Outer Banks and 77 % of residents in storm surge @-@ prone areas of the Pamlico Sound did not evacuate despite being under a mandatory evacuation . The two primary reasons stated for the residents ' evacuation decisions were the hurricane 's strength and track . The media and statements from officials were two other reasons . 70 % of people along the Outer Banks heard the official evacuation notices , though only 30 % of residents near the Pamlico Sound heard the notices . A majority of the respondents to the survey who heard the evacuation notices left the area . None of the surveyed evacuees from the Outer Banks went to a public shelter ; 60 % went to a friend or a relative 's house and 24 % went to a motel . Evacuees on the Outer Banks generally went elsewhere in North Carolina or to Virginia . For evacuees around the Pamlico Sound , only 9 % left for a public shelter , while 75 % left for a friend or relative 's house . Most near the Pamlico Sound remained in their own neighborhood or own county . Of the 19 North Carolina counties issuing evacuation orders , the duration of the evacuation process varied between 3 hours to 12 hours in Dare County . Five counties reported heavy amounts of traffic , while traffic problems included stalled cars along roads , inadequate route signing , and flooded or damaged roads . 
