Hatteras Island opens to residents, priority business personnel immediately

The Dare County Control Group met Saturday evening for an update on recovery efforts including restoration of power and road conditions. The following reentry guidelines have been established, effective immediately:

For areas north of Oregon Inlet, Priority Three reentry becomes effective immediately. Priority Three includes non-resident property owners and employees of non-critical businesses. Non-resident property owners must have a valid reentry permit and matching current government-issued ID OR a current tax bill or parcel data sheet with matching current government-issued ID. Non-resident employees of non-critical businesses must have a valid reentry permit with matching current government-issued ID.

For areas south of Oregon Inlet (Hatteras Island), Priority Two reentry begins immediately. Priority Two includes permanent residents and essential personnel for critical businesses. Permanent residents must present a valid NC driver’s license or government-issued ID with a Hatteras Island address. To expedite movement through traffic control points, residents can also display a reentry permit. Essential personnel of critical businesses must present a Priority Two reentry permit with a matching government-issued ID.  The County’s online reentry permitting system and detailed information about the staged reentry process is available at www.darenc.com/reentry.

Sand and water remains on many Hatteras Island roadways. Drive slowly and proceed with caution.

Dangerous surf conditions remain. Beachgoers are asked to check ocean conditions before heading out at https://www.weather.gov/beach/mhx.

The Dare County Control Group will continue to meet to assess conditions and implement reentry for additional priorities. The next bulletin will be issued no later than Sunday, September 8 at 8:00 a.m. Updates will be distributed via the County’s emergency alert system. Sign up to receive alerts via text, voice and email at www.darenc.com/alerts or visit darenc.com for updated information.

Dare County 

Disaster Assistance – Please contact the Department of Health and Human Services at 252.475.4196 if you or someone you know needs assistance. In areas of the County most impacted by the storm, relief workers will be in the field knocking on doors.

Disaster Relief Information – The Outer Banks Community Foundation is coordinating all monetary donations, which are the greatest help to those in need. All donations are tax-deductible and 100% of all donations will be used to directly assist individuals and families in need. Donations can be made online at www.obcf.org/disaster or www.obxdisaster.org.

Dare County Public Works – Dare County trash collection will resume on the regular schedule beginning Monday, September 9. Not all areas are accessible for trash trucks, but every effort will be made to pick up trash.

Details have not been finalized for debris pickup but as the recovery process begins, please begin piling storm related debris into 4 SEPARATE PILES onto the right-of-way at least 30 feet from fire hydrants.

• Vegetative Debris (limbs, leaves, branches, sea grass, etc.) DO NOT BAG!
• Construction and Demolition Materials (building materials, concrete, shingles, etc.)
• Metal (appliances)
• Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics (oil, bleach toilet cleaner, televisions, computers, etc.)

All commercial haulers must use the Transfer Stations to dispose of all debris, including storm related, and pay applicable tipping fees.

Hatteras Island Mobile Food Kitchens – The Salvation Army will provide three meals a day beginning Sunday, September 8 at two locations on Hatteras Island, the Old PNC Bank in Buxton and Hatteras Village Fire Department. Meal times are 8:00 a.m. for breakfast, 12:00 p.m. for lunch, and 6:00 p.m. for dinner.

Dare County Schools

ALL Dare County schools will be closed on Monday, September 9.

Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative

Crews have energized Buxton, the village and beach circuits in Hatteras and north Frisco with the diesel plant. Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo are being powered by the main transmission line from Oregon Inlet.

Crews are working to finish replacing two broken transmission poles between Avon and Salvo. Once finished, CHEC will energize the transmission lines from Oregon Inlet to Hatteras and hope to energize all remaining circuits this evening. Crews will continue working on scattered individual outages across the island tomorrow.

Town of Duck 

Normal residential and commercial trash and recycling schedules will resume this week.

Please use caution as you move about Town as there are still areas of standing water and vegetative debris.  Roads are open and passable.

Town of Kitty Hawk

Thanks to everyone for getting started so quickly on their debris clean-up.

There are still roadways with debris and some areas without power. Utility and other service workers are also working in the area. Please continue to be cautious when traveling within the Town.

Please place vegetative debris in the right-of-way. It can be no longer than 8 feet. A collection date will be published as soon as possible.

Trash collection will resume a normal schedule on Monday, September 9. Please have your trash cans out for collection, making sure they are accessible and not blocked by storm debris.

Town offices will be open and resume normal operations on Monday, September 9.

Town of Kill Devil Hills

Preliminary damage assessments have concluded. Please exercise caution when driving through areas that have vegetative debris on the roads. Avoid areas on the beach that have debris and refrain from disturbing debris that may have washed up from damaged structures.

Traffic signals remain inoperable in parts of Kill Devil Hills – drive slowly and obey the traffic cones.

The Town of Kill Devil Hills offices will resume regular office hours on Monday, September 9. Office hours are M-F, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

KDH Facilities closed until further notice include: the Casey R. Logan Disc Golf Course and the Paws Park. Restrooms at the Town’s parks and beach accesses are also closed. Water remains turned off at the Town’s beach accesses.

The Recycle and Dry Trash Drop-Off Centers remain closed today, but will resume operation during regular hours on Monday, September 9. Normal residential and commercial refuse collection schedules resume on Monday, September 9.

Please begin piling storm-related debris into SEPARATE PILES in the right-of-way:

• Vegetative Debris (limbs, leaves, branches, sea grass, etc.)
• Construction and Demolition Materials (building materials, shingles, etc.)
• Metal (appliances)
• Please Note: Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics should be brought to the Recycle Center.

Town of Manteo 

Storm surge from Hurricane Dorian overflowed into the sanitary sewer system, and portions of roads at three locations have been closed due to wastewater contamination – around the manhole at Fernando & Agona, at the entrance to the weather tower parking lot, and near the entrance to Magnolia Pavilion. Barricades and signs have been placed at these locations to prevent access by cars or pedestrians.

Sewer & Water staff have been working since last night to mitigate these impacts, including the use of pump trucks and installation of an emergency generator until power is restored. Even if you have power from a backup generator or other source, please conserve water to minimize flows into the sewer system. Water conservation efforts include not running dishwashers and washing machines, limiting the amount of water used for showering, and limiting toilet flushing. We will have an update within 24 hours.

National Park Service, Outer Banks Group

Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and the Wright Brothers National Memorial remain closed to all public use. All trails are closed. Do not use any park trails until they can be cleared of all downed trees. Additional resources from the National Park Service begin to arrive today to aid in damage assessments and mitigating immediate risks to life safety.