Weekend Re-Entry Planned for Northern Outer Banks, but Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands Remain Closed

Dare County Emergency Management announced that staged re-entry is planned for communities north of Oregon Inlet beginning with residents on Saturday, September 15 at 7 a.m. However, Hatteras and Ocracoke islands remain closed to residents and visitors for the immediate future due to ocean overwash and questionable road conditions.

Hatteras and Ocracoke islands will remain closed until NCDOT can clear the road and bridges of debris, inspect for structural damage, and make repairs as necessary. Inspections will take place as soon as conditions allow.  

“Our road crews inspected N.C. 12 on Hatteras Island this morning, and while there are still several areas of deep sand and standing water, we are cautiously optimistic that there is no apparent damage to the pavement,” said NCDOT in an online statement. “We expect more overwash over the next few high tide cycles, but hopefully things will gradually improve as Florence weakens and moves away from the area.”

Dare County remains under a Storm Surge Warning that officials anticipate will remain in place through late today or Saturday due to the slow movement of Hurricane Florence.  While the state of emergency is in effect and warnings from the National Weather Service remain, conditions may alter the reentry schedule.

Sign up to receive alerts directly from Dare County Emergency Management at www.darenc.com/emergencyalerts. Visit www.darenc.com/reentry for details on the staged reentry process.  

National Park Service

All visitor facilities at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial remain closed. National Park Service teams are assessing conditions at all three national park sites.