8:45 pm – We are still safe on Hatteras. However, this storm just won’t end. It’s still raining heavily, and the winds are blowing at tropical storm force. My house is creaking and shaking. The tide has come up on all of Hatteras Island. There are reports of up to 4 feet of tide in […]
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Why we stay in the face of a major hurricane
As I am writing this on Friday evening, the outer bands of rain from Hurricane Irene are coming onshore on Hatteras Island. There isn?t much wind to speak of yet, but that will probably change quickly before too long. Forecasters are saying that the storm should pass close to Cape Hatteras tomorrow morning, but the […]
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Latest watches, warnings, and local Hurricane Irene statements at http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/mhx/ MORE DARE COUNTY INFORMATION The Dare County Control Group has activated the Joint Information Section (JIS) in response to Hurricane Irene. All information regarding local government agencies in Dare County will be released through this source effective today, Wednesday, Aug. 24. The JIS is a collaborative organization that encompasses the six municipal governments in Dare County, the National Park Service, the Dare County Sheriff’s Office, and the County of Dare, all of which have representatives on the Dare County Control Group. The JIS is operated in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Manteo and managed by Dare County Emergency Management. Outlets for information include the following: The Dare County website at www.darenc.com Government Access Channel 20, Charter Cable Channel 20 Releases e-mailed and faxed to local, regional, and national press outlets Emergency Management Public Phone Inquiry Line at 252-475-5655 Other Important Numbers:
By ANNE C. BOWERS By ANNE C. BOWERS Islanders were admittedly a little nervous about Hurricane Irene all week. Once this storm made a right turn at Florida, Hatteras became the target for landfall. Forecasts read like an obituary for this little island with phrases like “It’s the big one,” “Significant ocean and soundside flooding,” […]
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Latest watches, warnings, and local Hurricane Irene statements at http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/mhx/ MORE DARE COUNTY INFORMATION The Dare County Control Group has activated the Joint Information Section (JIS) in response to Hurricane Irene. All information regarding local government agencies in Dare County will be released through this source effective today, Wednesday, Aug. 24. The JIS is a collaborative organization that encompasses the six municipal governments in Dare County, the National Park Service, the Dare County Sheriff’s Office, and the County of Dare, all of which have representatives on the Dare County Control Group. The JIS is operated in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Manteo and managed by Dare County Emergency Management. Outlets for information include the following: The Dare County website at www.darenc.com Government Access Channel 20, Charter Cable Channel 20 Releases e-mailed and faxed to local, regional, and national press outlets Emergency Management Public Phone Inquiry Line at 252-475-5655 Other Important Numbers:
By IRENE NOLAN By IRENE NOLAN The Dare County Control Group issued a mandatory evacuation order for all residents, beginning at 8 a.m. Friday, Aug. 26. The Dare County Control Group issued a mandatory evacuation order for all residents, beginning at 8 a.m. Friday, Aug. 26. The Dare County Control Group issued a mandatory evacuation […]
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The National Weather Service is predicting that the effects of Hurricane Irene will impact the Outer Banks Group units, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial, by Friday, Aug. 26, with storm conditions continuing through Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. The Park Service is closing down campgrounds, visitor centers, and beaches today and tomorrow. Dare County’s Control Group has not yet made a decision on evacuating Hatteras Island and the northern beaches. The group will meet again late this afternoon. All National Park Service campgrounds — Ocracoke, Frisco, Cape Point and Oregon Inlet — will close at noon today, Wednesday, Aug. 24. The Ocracoke Campground reservation system has been temporarily suspended. The Silver Lake Marina NPS docks will also close at noon today. The Ocracoke Visitor Center, Hatteras Island, Bodie Island and Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh Visitor Centers will remain open until close of business today, then will remain closed until further notice. Previously scheduled evening programs for Aug. 24 are cancelled. Lifeguarded beach operations at Ocracoke, Buxton, and Coquina Beach will close at 5 p.m. today, and remain closed until further notice. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will close at 6 p.m. today, until further notice. All park special programs scheduled for Founder’s Day, Thursday, August 25, have been cancelled. Regularly scheduled Fall interpretive programming will resume after the storm passes the area. The Flags Over Hatteras event, scheduled for August 25-28, has been postponed until further notice due to the threat of Hurricane Irene. In preparation for the storm, Ocracoke beaches will be closed to off-road vehicles by 6 p.m. today, and all other beaches in the national seashore will close to off-road vehicles by 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25. For more information, listen to NOAA weather radio and local radio and media for updates. Meanwhile, The Dare County Control Group has activated the Joint Information Section (JIS) in response to Hurricane Irene. All information regarding local government agencies in Dare County will be released through this source effective today, Wednesday, Aug. 24. The JIS is a collaborative organization that encompasses the six municipal governments in Dare County, the National Park Service, the Dare County Sheriff’s Office, and the County of Dare, all of which have representatives on the Dare County Control Group. The JIS is operated in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Manteo and managed by Dare County Emergency Management. Outlets for information include the following: The Dare County website at www.darenc.com Government Access Channel 20, Charter Cable Channel 20 Releases e-mailed and faxed to local, regional, and national press outlets Emergency Management Public Phone Inquiry Line at 252-475-5655 Other Important Numbers:
The National Weather Service is predicting that the effects of Hurricane Irene will impact the Outer Banks Group units, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial, by Friday, Aug. 26, with storm conditions continuing through Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. The Park Service is closing down campgrounds, visitor centers, […]
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By IRENE NOLAN
By IRENE NOLAN By IRENE NOLAN Both the aging Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse apparently are unscathed after yesterday’s surprise earthquake shook the Outer Banks and much of the eastern United States. The North Carolina Department of Transportation is currently has repair work underway on the Bonner Bridge to keep […]
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UPDATE: Dare orders mandatory evacuation of all visitors
The Dare County Control Group has ordered a mandatory evacuation for all visitors in the county, beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday. The control group met this evening after the 5 p.m. update on Hurricane Irene from the National Hurricane Center. At 5 p.m., the Category 3 storm had winds of 120 mph and was moving […]
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UPDATE: Hurricane threat Forces Postponement of ‘Flags Over Hatteras’
The approach of Hurricane Irene and its possible landfall along the North Carolina coast has led organizers of the “Flags Over Hatteras” Sesquicentennial Commemoration to postpone the event until later this fall. Leading experts on the Civil War and its impact on the United States and the world were scheduled to take part in symposiums […]
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MORE INFORMATION ON OCRACOKE EVACUATION There will be state of emergency declared for Ocracoke and the Hyde County mainland, effective at 5 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24. A mandatory evacuation has been issued for all visitors to Ocracoke and a voluntary evacuation has been issued for all residents of Ocracoke beginning at 5 a.m. on Wednesday. There will be a mandatory evacuation for residents on Ocracoke, beginning at 5 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 25. During the state of emergency, the North Carolina Ferry Division will be on a first-come, first -served basis for all vehicles going to Hatteras, Swan Quarter, and Cedar Island, pending road conditions in those receiving counties. Schedules and toll collections are suspended during the evacuation order. Emergency services, government agencies, commercial vendors delivering essential groceries and supplies, and permanent residential traffic as indicated by purple and green stickers will be allowed to travel to Ocracoke on Wednesday, Aug. 24, only via air and ferry or boat. Local and state law enforcement may restrict access without appropriate credentials.
By IRENE NOLAN By IRENE NOLAN Hurricane Irene was downgraded to a Category 1 storm at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, but it is still forecast to strengthen again and perhaps reach Category 3 as it aims for the North Carolina coast. Eastern North Carolina is in the crosshairs of the National Hurricane Center’s cone of […]
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While Hatteras islanders and visitors were glued to weather news today and watching Hurricane Irene’s progress toward eastern North Carolina, we were shaking and trembling. That is shaking and trembling – literally. Not by the news about Hurricane Irene, but by an earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey reports that the earthquake occurred just before 2 p.m. and was centered near Mineral, Va., about 48 miles northwest of Richmond. It was felt throughout much of the eastern half of the country – from as far north as upstate New York, as far south as Atlanta, and as far west as Detroit and Ohio. I was standing in my living room watching the 1:50 p.m. update on Hurricane Irene when the house started shaking. Everything was shaking. The roof was creaking, the pictures were banging on the wall, and creosote was knocked loose and falling down the tall pipe for my wood stove. My dog went and hid in the spot she seeks out in thunderstorms. At the very beginning, I thought we were about to have a sonic boom, a somewhat frequent occurrence on the Outer Banks. Then I thought to myself, “This must be an earthquake.” I would guess the shaking lasted about 10 seconds. As soon as it was over, the phone starting ringing with folks asking friends and neighbors, “What was that? Could it have been an earthquake?” Most everyone on the Outer Banks from the northern beaches to Ocracoke felt the shaking, though many didn’t know what it was until the bulletins started on the television news. That was my first earthquake. And while waiting for a major hurricane! “Unbelievable,” is all most islanders can say. The National Weather Service in Newport, N.C., reports that forecasters there have been notified by the Tsunami Warning Center that no tsunami is expected from the quake because of the location of the epicenter inland. Some islanders have reported feeling aftershocks, but I haven’t felt any. So now it’s back to writing about the hurricane that could be on our doorstep in about three days.
By IRENE NOLAN By IRENE NOLAN While Hatteras islanders and visitors were glued to weather news today and watching Hurricane Irene’s progress toward eastern North Carolina, we were shaking and trembling. That is shaking and trembling – literally. Not by the news about Hurricane Irene, but by an earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey reports that […]
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