Minor Overwash Accompanies Friday’s High Tide; NCDOT and CHEC Hard at Work on Repairs

Minor ocean overwash accompanied Friday’s midday high tide at several hot spots on Hatteras Island, however, the flooding was significantly less than Thursday’s inundation of ocean water onto N.C. Highway 12.

Minor to moderate oceanside flooding of N.C. Highway 12 was reported in northern Hatteras village and along Ocean View Drive in Avon, however, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) crews were hard at work removing sand and debris all day, and inspecting road conditions.

Per a Friday morning update from NCDOT, while there are still several areas of deep sand and standing water, they are cautiously optimistic that there is no apparent damage to the pavement. Highway 12 remains closed to both residents and visitors as of 3 p.m. on Friday.

A brief power outage was also reported at 2 p.m. in the villages of Frisco, Hatteras and Ocracoke, however Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative crews worked quickly to resolve the problem, and power was restored by 2:30 p.m. to all three villages.

Despite water levels in the Pamlico Sound drastically lowering on Thursday afternoon, there have been no reports of major soundside flooding on Hatteras Island as water levels in the sound gradually and continually rise.

The most damage from Florence on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands appears to stem from ocean overwash, with a number of breaches along the oceanfront dune line reported. Areas with small or no oceanfront dunes, such as Ocean View Drive in Avon, northern Rodanthe, and northern Hatteras village, saw the brunt of the damage, which primarily occurred on Thursday. Residents on the islands should continue to use caution and stay off the roads whenever possible as NCDOT crews continue to clean up Highway 12. Ocean overwash could occur again with the next high tide, which is around midnight tonight.

Several grocery stores, including Red & White in Hatteras village, and Conner’s Supermarket in Buxton, announced that they will be open until roughly 6 p.m. on Friday afternoon for residents in need of supplies.

As of 2 p.m., Florence was located about 35 miles west-southwest of Wilmington, N.C., and was headed west at 5 mph. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 75 mph with higher gusts, mainly over water.  Gradual weakening is forecast later today and tonight. Significant weakening is expected over the weekend and into early next week while Florence moves farther inland.

For more information on Florence’s local impacts, visit www.weather.gov/mhx for weather forecast info, or the National Weather Service office in Newport / Morehead City’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/NWSMoreheadCity/.