Ocracoke Island Evacuation and Power Update
The mandatory evacuation order for all visitors to Ocracoke Island is still in effect. Only individuals who are Ocracoke residents, seasonal residents, non-resident property owners, vendors, and emergency personnel who display a valid re-entry pass, or who possess some form of documentation proving residency and/or employment, will be allowed access to the island. Any seasonally employed residents that are having issues producing documentation to gain access to the island should call (252) 926-4374 for assistance. We would also like to remind everyone, the Dare County officials have requested that anyone evacuating from Ocracoke to Hatteras please wait until you get north of Oregon Inlet until you attempt to get gas or lodging as they are facing shortages themselves.
As the order for evacuation is mandatory, all visitors on the island are ordered to leave immediately. The Hyde County Sheriff’s Office is now issuing citations for anyone not in compliance with the evacuation order. The Hyde County Board of Commissioners and State of North Carolina have both declared states of emergency, and any individual who fails to leave an evacuated area shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor, in accordance with N.C.G.S. 14-288.20A. All renters should be aware that, pursuant to Article 6 of Chapter 42A-36 of the North Carolina General Statues, travel insurance claims may be made when a claimant is complying with a mandatory evacuation. Please contact your travel insurance policy provider after evacuating from the island.
Engineers are still on-site at the damaged portion of the main transmission line, and are continuing to assess the state of the system. Excavation crews began digging down to the line at around 1:00 pm yesterday. A trench box was set and a dewatering system is in place to allow crews to dig the final 2-3 feet out, however problems with silt and mud have prevented them from accessing the line so far. Until that happens we will not have any information on the damage or the timetable for repairs.
Tideland EMC has reported that at 2 am, the 1-megawatt generator was brought back online and service on the South circuit resumed. In the meantime, due to load, crews further sectionalized the Northwest circuit into two separate circuits, one of which currently has power via one of the two 2-megawatt generators. Crews are working to set up the other 2-megawatt generator (additional personnel and equipment arrived via a special Hatteras ferry fun at about 3:30 this morning). That generator will be used to begin bringing up load on the Northeast circuit, which will likely have to be sectionalized into two or more circuits since it has the largest number of meters.
The Northwest Circuit Includes: Howards Pub, Gaffers, Fire Station, Variety Store, Anchorage, Jolly Roger, Water Plant, Fish House, NCCAT, Howard St., South Ferry Terminal and British Cemetery areas.
The Northeast Circuit includes: Ocracoke School, Health Clinic, Flying Melon, Fire House Rd., Pony Island, Oyster Creek and Jackson Dunes.
This only works if we all work together. Please observe the strictest conservation measures possible. If lights start to dim it could indicate the generator is overloading in which case you need to start turning items off again. It is always toughest when we first pick up the load, as all the refrigerators and freezers start up simultaneously
As of 8:00 am, the NC DOT Ferry Division reported that they had evacuated 3,704 people and 1,372 cars. There is currently no wait time at the ferry terminals. Any reservations for ferry service to and from Ocracoke have been cancel for today and tomorrow. If you have any questions about ferry reservations, cancellations, or refunds, please contact the NC DOT Ferry Division at 252-928-5311.
