...Hurricane Irene was a category 1 hurricane that made landfall near Cape Lookout Saturday morning. Sustained winds were recorded at 90 mph. There are still reports of power outages, downed lines, fallen trees, and impassable roads in Hyde County. We have resources and recovery plans in place to continue restoration efforts.
Hyde County officials continue the limited reentry to Hyde County. At this time, mainland Hyde County is open to all traffic. On Wednesday, August 31, vehicles with a purple sticker and vehicles with a green sticker (residents) will be allowed on the Swan Quarter and Cedar Island ferries to Ocracoke, in that priority order. Residents with a current, valid drivers license with an Ocracoke address are also allowed. This will allow infrastructure, utilities, and essential personnel to get in place and residents to get back to their homes.
Access to Ocracoke is only allowed via NCDOT ferry traffic from Swan Quarter and Cedar Island. There is no reentry to Ocracoke for non-resident property owners or visitors until utilities and infrastructure are in place which is estimated to be no earlier than one week. There is no access to Hatteras Island through Ocracoke Island.
The Ferry Schedule for Wednesday, August 31, 2011 is as follows:
Leaving Swan Quarter: 7 am, 10 am, 12:30 pm, 4:30 pm
Leaving Ocracoke: 6:30 am, 9:30 am, 12:45 pm, 4 pm
Leaving Cedar Island: 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 3:30 pm
Leaving Ocracoke: 7:30 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 3:30 pm
Communications and county services are limited at this time. There are still flooded roads and downed power lines. Please be respectful of roadside crews doing clean-up. Please be aware that rescue operations and debris removal are still happening. Residents are encouraged to wait, and if you enter, you are entering at your own risk.
...All Hyde County Schools are scheduled to begin on Thursday, September 1 unless otherwise announced.
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Philip, it seems things are moving in the right direction. Even though visitors are anxious to return to the island, this isn't the time for them to be there with the shaky infrastructure. Besides, the power repair crews and you locals need space and peace to do whatever is necessary to return the island back to "normal".
ReplyDeleteThanks for the updates.
You are a blessing to more folks than you know.
Your Person county NC mainlander appreciates all the hard work everyone is putting forth to restore "our" beautiful island.
Keep making lemonade out of those lemons! :)
Philip, your blog is wonderful for helping us stay in touch and stay updated on an area that we dearly love. Have you heard anyone say how Portsmouth Village fared?
ReplyDeleteIt just made my morning to catch one of the NC ferry boats docked @ Ocracoke Island and to see it leaving, headed either to SQ or CI. The sky is gorgeous there today and the water is a deep London Blue topaz color. How wonderful! Thanks to Ocracoke Harbor Inn web-cam for the view!
ReplyDeletePhilip, the hardy O.I. folks are making progress....keep on keeping on!
Is a cost issue but all the downed trees.. is any of the wood milled into boards or sold for such=== with communities crying for funds , why is there not a plan in place to harvest the downed trees for building construction material??? On the island or any place for that matter ??? is any one listening o for wood carvers artists and the like hello certainly this is not an original thought
ReplyDeleteGreat to have our town crier back! ;)
ReplyDeleteSo good to hear from you, Philip. Take care of yourself.
ReplyDeleteDo you know whether Donald and Merle Davis were on Ocracoke during the hurricane? Hope they are well and their house and garage survived. They probably won't remember me--I met them at the John C. Campbell Folks School some years ago during Winter Dance week. I'm also friends with Jubal Creech through teaching at Little/Middle Folk School. If you see them, please tell them their acquaintances from the other Folk School wish them well.
Hope to get to the Ocrafolk School in 2012.
Take care of yourself!
Margaret Radcliffe (the knitter from Virginia)
It is my understanding that Merle Davis was here for the storm, but Donald is out and about, traveling around the country. Sorry, but I have not seen Merle nor heard anything about her well being. Perhaps someone else has?
ReplyDeleteI understand from WPTF news (Raleigh) Ocracoke island will NOT allow visitors this Labor Day weekend due to rolling power outages. Sorry for the disappointing news. Visitors will be back....you can bet on it when it's okay to be there and we will support O.I. businesses.
ReplyDeleteOur hearts are there now anyway. No one can change that fact.
Any word on how the properties out by Jackson Dunes faired?
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to coming back to visit when the island is ready for visitors.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear your family is back and you had some help with the "yardwork".
ReplyDelete5 truckloads-yeash! Hang in there. Not surprised to hear of more damage once people got into homes and rentals. Hope it's kept to a minimum and that you are hard wired soon. SueM
I anxiously read all I can of news from Ocracoke and her time with Irene - not a fun time I'm sure! I've been to Ocracoke twice now - in 2008 and 2009, and hope to return again someday! Just a little slice of heaven on earth ... thanks for keeping us all informed when you can! poki Sawyer
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