Communications outage reported on Hatteras Island, 911 service impacted
A communications outage was reported Monday afternoon on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, including limited 911 service.
Reports are that a fiber optic cable was damaged in the vicinity of the Pea Island Visitors Center, and a repair crew has been dispatched.
That is the same area where NCDOT crews had to rebuild dunes along NC 12 that were washed out by rough surf on Sunday.
Dare County Emergency Management sent a message via OBX Alerts at 1:10 p.m. stating that 911 service on the island was impacted, and if you are unable to call, try texting to 911 or seek help at Fire or EMS stations.
The same message was also broadcast on NOAA Weather Radio stations in Buxton and Maime.
According to Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative, there are currently no power outages on the island.
“Our office on Light Plant Road in Buxton is currently open for members to report any power outages that may occur while communications are down. This message is being posted through back-up emergency procedures. If you are a nonresident homeowner, or are off island and cannot currently ‘see’ your home through devices like security systems or thermostats, this does not mean that the power is out, but rather Internet and cellular capabilities have failed.”
There are emergency communications facilities at the ready on Hatteras Island, due to the tenuous nature of fiber optic infrastructure running alongside N.C. 12 that has been damaged in the past.
Dare County Emergency Management’s “Compact Rapid Deployables” setup at Hatteras Island fire stations to provide public access to Dare County’s 911 Communication Center.
They also allow firefighters and emergency responders to connect to WiFi when power is out, and volunteers are also manning stations during the outage.
The CRDs have an operating range of two miles. Two CRDs are in the Tri-Villages, one in Avon, one in Buxton, one in Frisco, and one in Hatteras.
Chicamacomico Banks Fire and Rescue said they have activated their units at the stations in Rodanthe and Salvo.
Hatteras Island Community Emergency Response Team mobile emergency communications “hot spots” can be deployed at three central locations, which are equipped with Starlink satellite systems.
When needed, the stations are set up at with instructions posted on how to connect to the Starlink systems’ phone and internet.
As a result, when communications are down, residents and visitors can drive up to the mobile trailer site, break out their cell phones or laptops, and reach out to the outside world.
