A portion of a billboard is damaged after the recent storm.

A portion of a billboard is damaged after the recent storm.

<p>A set of generators are set up at Union High School to prepare for a power outage. </p>

A set of generators are set up at Union High School to prepare for a power outage.

<p>Cases of water were brought to the shelter at Union High School.</p>

Cases of water were brought to the shelter at Union High School.

<p>Volunteers prepare to welcome residents seeking shelter.</p>

Volunteers prepare to welcome residents seeking shelter.

<p>Kaytric Herring, a social worker from the Sampson County Department of Social Services, prepares paperwork to help residents seeking shelter.</p>

Kaytric Herring, a social worker from the Sampson County Department of Social Services, prepares paperwork to help residents seeking shelter.

<p>Julie Hunter, principal of Union High School, and Lynn Fields, shelter supervisor, discuss plans to help people during the storm.</p>

Julie Hunter, principal of Union High School, and Lynn Fields, shelter supervisor, discuss plans to help people during the storm.

<p>Support from the National Guard rolled in to Sampson County on Monday evening and were on standby in case needed.</p>

Support from the National Guard rolled in to Sampson County on Monday evening and were on standby in case needed.

<p>County officials work from within the Sampson County Emergency Operations Center on Sunday leading up to Isaias.</p>

County officials work from within the Sampson County Emergency Operations Center on Sunday leading up to Isaias.

Mayors and town officials are breathing a sigh of relief after Isaias made its way through North Carolina. Unlike other storms, it didn’t release a lot of fury on Sampson County.

Isaias was forecasted to bring 4-6 inches of rain to Sampson, causing both flash flooding in the northern portions of the county and river flooding in the southern portions of the county. Ultimately none of that happened, with Sampson receiving less than the low end of that rainfall amount — nearly 3 1/2 inches of rain — and several downed trees scattered across the county.

Three shelters opened up — one for those with special needs — however just 11 people total sought shelter during the storm. All the shelters were closed by Tuesday morning.

Close to 8,000 customers in Sampson did lose power at peak outages, but most of that was restored by midday Tuesday.

The Tomahawk river gauge measured at 7 feet on Tuesday morning. Officials were concerned with flooding of the Black River, a concern that resulted in voluntary evacuations in the area. Flood stage is 16 feet. Minor flooding can be observed at 18 feet.

“We will continue to monitor river levels throughout the county over the next few days, particularly along the Black River in Southern Sampson, ensuring our citizens and friends remain safe as waters begin to migrate downstream,” the county said in a statement.

Mayor Winifred Murphy of Garland said the town was blessed to have minor issues.

“I think we did OK, we have staff going around town now and doing assessments,” Murphy said Tuesday morning. “Some of us lost power, and some didn’t. I haven’t heard of anything happening, but we are checking all of our buildings.”

Amanda Monk, town clerk for Newton Grove, reported that there were no major flooding issues from Isaias, unlike previous hurricane incidents.

“We fared very well through this one,” Monk said.

For awhile, Autryville did not have power during the night, but according to Autryville Mayor Richard Spell, Duke Energy reported that an animal may have damaged a transformer or electric device to cause the outage. After the storm, Spell drove around the area to see if anything was damaged.

“There were no tree limbs down,” Spell said. “All of those little political signs were still in people’s yards. It was constant rain and gusting winds and it was mostly over by three o’ clock.”

With a town sitting next to the South River, he was relieved to not see any flooding or road washouts.

“We dodged a bullet,” Spell said.

He also thanked the work of the Autryville Volunteer Fire Department, crews and residents for being prepared for the storm.

“They were up all night, ready to help if there any issues,” Spell said. “There were power crews ready to get the power back on for any reason. Everybody stayed home and off the roads and that made it safer for everybody.”

Autryville’s was one of many Sampson towns whose fire and rescue personnel were on high alert. Search and rescue teams were also prepared if needed.

Swift water rescue teams were contacted and the North Carolina National Guard Black Knight Unit was also available to assist a plethora of local first responders and government officials if necessary. A base camp for individuals involved with providing disaster assistance services was also established at Graves Presbyterian Church to provide individuals who are involved with disaster assistance activities a place to shelter and rest.

In the end, the resources were not needed.

In Turkey, Mayor Max Pope said there was a few limbs and trees down, but there wasn’t significant damage in the eastern Sampson County town.

“I told someone, I thought it was the perfect storm,” Pope said about the wind and 2 1/2 inches of rain measured in a gauge. “Farmers got the rain they needed without getting a flood. It blew some tobacco over in the area, but the farmers already got their crews out, staking it up and that’s not going to be difficult. They feel blessed, according to the ones I talked to.”

Like Spell, he said Turkey also “dodged a bullet.”

Not everyone was as fortunate.

At least four people were killed as Tropical Storm Isaias spawned tornadoes and dumped rain Tuesday along the U.S. East Coast after making landfall as a hurricane in North Carolina, where it caused floods and fires that displaced dozens of people.

Two people died when Isaias spun off a tornado that struck a North Carolina mobile home park. Authorities said two others were killed by falling trees toppled by the storm in Maryland and New York City.

Most of the significant damage Tuesday seemed to be east and north of where the hurricane’s eye struck land in North Carolina.

Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday that Brunswick, Pender and Onslow counties along the state’s southeast coast were among the hardest hit with storm surge, structure fires and reports of tornadoes.

Deputies on North Carolina’s Oak Island had to rescue five adults and three children after the storm hit, causing damage along the beachfront and knocking electricity and sewer facilities offline, authorities said.

More than 15 hours after coming ashore, Isaias still had sustained top winds of 65 mph. At 2 p.m. Tuesday, the storm’s center was about 65 miles west of New York City, where winds forced the Staten Island ferry and outdoor subway lines to shut down. As Isaias sped northward at 40 mph, the National Hurricane Center warned of potentially life-threatening flooding around Philadelphia and other points along the I-95 corridor.

Two people died after a tornado demolished several mobile homes in Windsor, North Carolina. Emergency responders finished searching the wreckage Tuesday afternoon. They found no other casualties, and several people initially feared missing had all been accounted for, said Ron Wesson, chairman of the Bertie County Board of Commissioners. He said about 12 people were hospitalized.

Isaias toggled between hurricane and tropical storm strength as it churned toward the East Coast. Fueled by warm ocean waters, the storm got a late burst of strength as a rejuvenated hurricane with top sustained winds of 85 mph before coming ashore late Monday near Ocean Isle Beach, N.C.

Before making landfall late Monday, Isaias killed two people in the Caribbean and battered the Bahamas before brushing past Florida. On Tuesday, forecasters expected it to remain a tropical storm on a path into New England.

Tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. Power outages also spread as trees fell, with more than 2.8 million customers losing electricity, most of them in New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia, according to PowerOutage.US, which tracks utility reports.