Monday Evening Update – Emergency ferry route to Ocracoke expanded, Hatteras Island schools closed Tuesday

Emergency service was expanded to Ocracoke Island per a Monday update from the North Carolina Departments of Transportation, while school was canceled for Hatteras Island residents on Tuesday, and assistance continued to pile in for island residents.

Additional updates for Hatteras and Ocracoke islands as of 7:00 p.m. on Monday include the following:

Ocracoke Island Updates:

The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division will be expanding service on the emergency route between Hatteras and Ocracoke’s Silver Lake Harbor on Tuesday.

The route bypasses the closed section of N.C. Highway 12 on Ocracoke Island, and takes two hours and 30 minutes for a one-way trip.

The schedule beginning Sept. 10 will be as follows:

• Hatteras to Ocracoke-Silver Lake: 6, 7:30, 9, and 10:30 a.m., 12, 1:30, 3, and 4:30 p.m.
• Ocracoke-Silver Lake to Hatteras: 9 and 10:30 a.m., 12, 1:30, 3, 4:30, 6, and 7:30 p.m.

Only high-clearance vehicles will be allowed on the Hatteras-Silver Lake route.

In addition, the Ferry Division’s Pamlico Sound routes will continue to operate on the following schedule:

• Swan Quarter to Ocracoke: 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m.
• Ocracoke to Swan Quarter: 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 8 p.m.
• Cedar Island to Ocracoke: 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.
• Ocracoke to Cedar Island:  11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

All fuel deliveries to Ocracoke should use the 9 a.m. Swan Quarter to Ocracoke departure.

At this time, access to Ocracoke-bound ferries will be open only to permanent residents and personnel authorized by Hyde County Emergency Management. Re-entry restrictions for visitors remain in effect.

Per an update from the Ocracoke Observer, electricity to Ocracoke Island is being evaluated and cannot be turned on until all of the electric meters have been inspected and deemed safe. Three building inspectors began going around the village on Sunday to evaluate every meter box. Tideland EMC is bringing in resources on Monday and Tuesday to repair a few poles that have been knocked down or over in the village, and at the north end of the island.

The Ocracoke School suffered major damage, and there is not yet a timeframe on when it can be reopened.

Trash can be taken to the Ocracoke dump, starting on Monday. Please bring only household trash. Hyde County has a debris contractor on the island, and residents are advised to only put demolition debris by the road, such as mattresses, carpets, appliances, etc. It may be a while before trash will be fully picked up.

Hyde County DSS and Trillium Health Resources will have disaster counseling available in Ocracoke September 10 through September 14 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lifesaving Church – Ocracoke Assembly of God on Lighthouse Rd.

Hyde County Health Department will administer free tetanus shots on Tuesday at the Ocracoke Fire Department starting at 10:30 a.m.

If any Ocracoke residents need information or supplies, please come to the fire department. Dinner will be served at the Community Center from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Portable showers are aldo located at the Jerniman’s Campground (at the gas station.)

The Ocracoke Observer published an up-to-date and in-depth story on how to help residents of Ocracoke Island on Monday. Information on how to donate can be found here: https://ocracokeobserver.com/2019/09/09/how-you-can-help-ocracoke-post-dorian/

Hatteras Island Updates

Unrestricted access to the village of Avon and northern areas of Buxton will begin at noon, Wednesday, September 11. Priority Three will remain in place for areas south of Buxton Back Road and N.C. Highway 12 (NC SR 1232 at Cape Hatteras Secondary School), including the villages of Frisco and Hatteras. Visitors will not be allowed past the checkpoint at Cape Hatteras Secondary School.

Unrestricted access to the villages of Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo on Hatteras Island will begin at noon, Tuesday, September 10. Sand and water remain on many Hatteras Island roadways. Drive slowly and proceed with caution

Visitors are asked to check with their rental company or accommodations provider to confirm reservations before traveling to the area.

The Dare County Control Group will continue meeting to determine reentry guidelines for the villages of Frisco and Hatteras. 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/reentry for additional reentry details.

Due to flooding concerns resulting from today’s storms, Cape Hatteras Elementary School and Cape Hatteras Secondary School will be closed for all students and staff on Tuesday, September 10. All other Dare County Schools will operate on a 2-hour delay on Tuesday, September 10.

Dare County trash collection resumed its 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 FOUR SEPARATE PILES onto the right-of-way at least 30 feet from fire hydrants. Visit http://www.darenc.com/hurricanedorian/ for information on how to separate debris and to receive updates as details are finalized.

Dare County has received notice of the availability of FEMA granting funds (Flood Mitigation Assistance Program or FMA) for the elevation of homes in unincorporated Dare County. The FMA program provides funding to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings and structures insurable under the National Flood Insurance Program. The FMA funding is a 75% federal and 25% property owner match.

FEMA info for Hatteras Island

If you are a year-round resident of unincorporated Dare County and your property has experienced repetitive flooding, federal funding may be available to elevate your home to mitigate flood losses. Manufactured homes, structures elevated on a piling foundation, or structures used for commercial or rental purposes are not eligible for funding consideration. The structure must have flood insurance coverage in place at the time of application.

A community meeting on the Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program will be held on Tuesday, September 17 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Room 238 of the Dare County Administration Building in Manteo, NC. Applications will be accepted at this meeting or can be secured by contacting Brent Johnson at 252.475.5628 or brent.johnson@darenc.com. All applications must be received by the Dare County Planning Department’s Manteo location by the close of business on September 27, 2019. Dare County will submit applications to the State of North Carolina and FEMA for review and evaluation. Submission of an application is not a guarantee of funding.

Clean-up kits and supplies are available at multiple locations throughout the island. The Fire departments in each village are generally the staging areas and the place where volunteers get their directions.

Updates on where to obtain resources as needed are as follows:

The Frisco Fire Station reported that volunteers will be at the station in the coming days to hand out cleaning supplies, trash bags, and to get names and information from people who have damages. They are also getting a list of volunteers together. Per Larry Ogden of the Hatteras Island CERT team, volunteers will be available to collect info from roughly 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. daily. The HI Cert team has roughly 55-60 members activated to help with clean-up and other recovery efforts as needed, which is in addition to dozens of volunteers from North Carolina Baptists, and from our local community.

The Avon Volunteer Fire Department has clean-up kits and drinking water available to those who had water in their homes due to Hurricane Dorian. Please stop by the department to pick up supplies and for information on what help is available. A representative of the United Methodist Men will be at the station starting to take down the names of those who need help with cleaning their homes, and work crews will be available starting Tuesday.

Food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and other essentials are also located at St. John United Methodist Church in Avon. Residents can stop by to get what they need.

The Salvation Army will continue to provide three meals a day on Hatteras Island on at two locations: the Old PNC Bank in Buxton and the Frisco Fire Department. Mealtimes at both locations are 8 a.m. for breakfast, 12 p.m. for lunch, and 6 p.m. for dinner.

Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative announced on Monday morning that they will be working to finish restoration efforts today. They also noted that they have had several reports of different visiting businesses claiming to be on the island working as subcontractors for CHEC in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. “Please note – besides Lee Electrical Construction and Hatteras Island Tree Care, we have no subcontractors working for us,” said CHEC in an online statement.

A number of stores and businesses have opened, which includes Frisco Rod and Gun, Conner’s Supermarket, and Ace Hardware – which all opened Saturday – and Village Red & White of Hatteras and Food Lion, which opened Sunday. Hours of operation may fluctuate for businesses, based on individual storm damage.

Hatteras Island residents and property owners who want to donate totes and boot socks for Ocracoke Island residents, as well as box fans and extension cords, can drop off these items at the Hatteras Fire Station, care of Jeremy Hicks.

Off-islanders: If you would like to donate totes, please ship them to: Midgett Realty 57783 NC Hwy 12 Hatteras NC 27943. Please add a note to the shipping label “Dorian Supplies”.

Dare County is available to help Hatteras Island residents in need. 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, but please reach out and let county officials know if you need assistance.

The 2019 Day at the Docks event, which was scheduled for September 13-14, has been canceled.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore Visitor facilities and services north of Oregon Inlet will reopen on Tuesday, September 10, at 12:00 p.m. as follows:

• Bodie Island Visitor Center will be open, which includes the Off Road Vehicle permit office
• Bodie Island Lighthouse will be closed for climbing
• Oregon Inlet Campground will be open for camping
• Off Road Vehicle Ramps 2 & 4 will be open

Folks who want to donate funds towards recovery efforts can contact the Outer Banks Community Foundation (OBCF) at www.obcf.org/disaster or the Cape Hatteras United Methodist Men, which is a local organization that has been assisting Hatteras Island for 40 years.

Checks can be mailed to:
Cape Hatteras United Methodist Men
PO Box 1591, Buxton, N.C. 27920

Checks should be marked “Hurricane Dorian Relief” and receipts will be sent. 100% of donations are used to address the needs of islanders.