77 days after Dorian crashed into the Outer Banks, Ocracoke will reopen to visitors
Dorian roared ashore at the Outer Banks in early September with extreme flooding, trapping hundreds of people on Ocracoke Island.
Now, more than two months later, county officials have agreed to lift access restrictions for visitors put in place two days before Dorian struck.
The Hyde County Board of Commissioners consented Monday to adopt recommendations by the Ocracoke Control Group that would allow tourists and guests to return to the island starting Nov. 22 — the same day transportation officials expect N.C. Highway 12 will reopen.
Once it’s lifted, commissioners said ferry operations will return to normal while “reconstruction and debris removal” carries on.
“Please be aware of any obstacles while on the island,” the board said in a statement. “In addition, visitors should be advised there are limited lodging accommodations, food service, gas availability and other services normally available to the visiting public.”
Gov. Roy Cooper issued a mandatory evacuation order for much of the coast, including the Outer Banks, on Sept. 4.
When Dorian finally made landfall at Cape Hatteras, the Charlotte Observer reported flooding on N.C. 12 had stranded roughly 800 people on Ocracoke — many of them island hardliners who survived Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and didn’t see much harm in a storm expected to be a Category 1 or 2, according to the Raleigh News & Observer.
But they were mistaken.
In a report to the board last month, Commissioner Tom Pahl detailed just how much damage Dorian did with its 100 to 120 mph winds and severe flooding: Up to 500 residents were displaced, between 160 and 200 homes were deemed “uninhabitable,” and “little to no” motels or hotels were in service.
Permanent residents were permitted to return Sept. 9, WAVY reported, but only with a green re-entry pass.
Hyde County has a four-tier system for delayed re-entry: red for emergency personnel, yellow for “essential island personnel,” green for residents and white for property owners.
But even those allowed to return to the island were operating under strict rules while food distribution and other volunteer aid efforts were underway — including a ban on alcohol sales, the Island Free Press reported.
Commissioners lifted that ban in October and opted to extend Ocracoke’s curfew to 11 p.m., according to the board meeting minutes.
They also discussed two petitions that had circulated regarding reopening the village to visitors: one with roughly 30 signatures in favor and one with 160 against.
The Ocracoke Control Group recommended it be removed only after certain benchmarks were met, namely completing a first round of debris removal and the reopening of N.C. 12.
Commissioners said Monday the first benchmark was met Nov. 1.
The second will be met on Nov. 22, the target date set by the Department of Transportation to reopen N.C. 12.
This story was originally published November 11, 2019 at 6:03 PM with the headline "77 days after Dorian crashed into the Outer Banks, Ocracoke will reopen to visitors."
