OCRACOKE ISLAND, N.C. (Charlotte Observer) – Hundreds of people are trapped on the Outer Banks island of Ocracoke in the wake of Hurricane Dorian’s landfall Friday morning, N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper says.

Unconfirmed totals report as many as 800 people are on the storm-battered island — and they are being warned to get to the highest point in their homes as storm surge and flash floods threatened to inundate some structures, Cooper said.

“I don’t think rescue crews can get in at this point, but they are ready to go as soon as they possibly can,” Cooper said during a press conference soon after Hurricane Dorian made landfall Friday as a Category 1 hurricane.

The worst damage from Hurricane Dorian so far in North Carolina appears to be at Ocracoke, where wind, rain and a naturally higher-than-normal tide may have combined to create historic flooding that sent some residents into their attics and swamped businesses and cars.

By the middle of the day, the water was receding but residents were unable to check on the extent of damage due to the flooding.