Mandatory evacuation for Ocracoke Island visitors begins Tuesday at 5 a.m.

The Hyde County Board of Commissioners have ordered a mandatory evacuation of all visitors from Ocracoke Island in advance of Hurricane Dorian that will go into effect on Tuesday, September 3, 2019 at 5:00 a.m.

The Hyde County Mainland Deputy Control Group will meet tomorrow, September 3, at 10:00 a.m. to discuss the forecast and any additional emergency protective measures necessitated by the weather conditions.

Due to the current forecast of Hurricane Dorian, the Hyde County Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 3, at 6:00 p.m. will be postponed. They will announce the rescheduled date as soon as it becomes available.

Only residents, homeowners, or vendors with an Ocracoke re-entry pass on their vehicles will be allowed on ferries inbound to Ocracoke beginning at 5:00 a.m. on September 3. Priority boarding will be suspended for all vessels leaving Ocracoke, and tolls have been waived for ferries heading from Ocracoke to Cedar Island or Swan Quarter.

The Ocracoke-Hatteras, Ocracoke-Cedar Island, and Ocracoke-Swan Quarter ferry routes will run their published schedules. The final departure from Ocracoke to Swan Quarter will be September 4 at 3:45 p.m., the final departure from Ocracoke to Cedar Island will be September 4 at 1:00 p.m., and the final departure from Ocracoke to Hatteras will be September 4 at 2:00 p.m. The Ocracoke Express passenger ferry will end service for the 2019 season at the end of the day on Monday

Cape Hatteras National Seashore visitor services will be suspended tomorrow, September 3, at 10:00 a.m. on Ocracoke Island for the duration of the weather event. This includes the Ocracoke campground, visitor center, ranger programs and off-road vehicle permit sales office.

The combination of higher than normal tides, storm surge, and building surf conditions significantly threaten the transportation routes that serve Ocracoke Island.  The dunes that protect Highway 12 on Ocracoke are already being weakened during high tide cycles and it is possible that dune over wash precedes the peak weather conditions.  When evaluating your evacuation plans, this needs to be taken into consideration.

The Hyde County Emergency Services Department will continue to monitor the forecast for Hurricane Dorian and issue advisories as appropriate.  For the most current and official information please monitor the National Hurricane Center website at https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/.