Hyde County Provides Update on Flooded and Abandoned Vehicles on Ocracoke Island

Per a press release from Hyde County, many vehicles on Ocracoke Island were flooded during Hurricane Dorian and many have since been abandoned along the side of the roads within the village and on National Park Service (NPS) property. Many of these vehicles are in the North Carolina Department of Transportation right of way north of the Village, which is on NPS property.

According to Hyde County, all vehicles within the boundaries of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore must be removed by December 20, 2019 to avoid a citation for illegal dumping. NPS does have the legal authority to issue violation notices to the owners of abandoned vehicles and to recover the cost of towing the vehicles off of Cape Hatteras National Seashore property.

Hyde County proposed an amendment to the abandoned vehicle ordinance at the December 2 Hyde County Board of Commissioners meeting that will further allow Hyde County to take possession of and dispose of abandoned vehicles throughout the County. This proposed ordinance will be in accordance with the provisions of G.S. 153A-132, and will allow Hyde County the authority needed to include removal of these flooded and abandoned vehicles in their current Dorian debris removal program.

That process requires, by law, that the county identifies the owner of each vehicle and notifies the owner of their responsibilities and liabilities in regard to proper legal disposal. The proposed amendment was not voted on at the December 2 meeting, and will be discussed again at the January Hyde County Board of Commissioners meeting.

To avoid being cited by NPS or potentially incurring disposal costs for the removal of vehicles from the village, Hyde County strongly suggests that owners of abandoned or discarded vehicles contract with private towing companies for removal of their property. In many cases, private tow companies will remove flooded vehicles free of charge. Two private tow companies have been serving Ocracoke; Jarvis Towing Company (252) 475-4285 and OBX Towing (252) 588-0001, however, owners can contract with any tow company of their choice.

Follow Hyde County’s social media outlets, twitter.com/HydeNC or facebook.com/HydeCountyNC for more information.