Hatteras Island Vacations

Bulletin Number: 11

Date/Time: 9/3/2010 5:33:09 PM

Re-Entry For Hatteras Island Begins 7:00am Saturday, September 4

The mandatory evacuation issued for Hatteras Island will remain in effect until 7:00 a.m. Saturday, September 4. NCDOT has been working throughout the day to remove sand and standing water on NC Highway 12 from Hurricane Earl.

With the lifting of the evacuation order for Saturday at 7:00 a.m., access for all vehicles will be restored to the Villages of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras and the ferry dock.

Motorists are advised that although access will be permitted, there may be standing water on roadways throughout the area. Proceed with caution, as it is difficult to determine the water’s depth and can cause brake failure, loss of control, or vehicle flooding.

At noon today, the mandatory evacuation was lifted for the remainder of Dare County north of Oregon Inlet including the Towns of Duck, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Manteo, Nags Head, Southern Shores and the unincorporated areas of Dare County north of Oregon Inlet.

The bridges leading to Dare County are open and no re-entry pass is required.

Trash Pick-up for Areas serviced by Dare County Public Works
Trash pick-up will be done on the regular Monday schedule, which includes the areas of Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Colington, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras Village. Public Works will also be following its normal commercial pick-up schedule on Monday.

The Buxton Transfer Station/Recycling Center will be open Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Manteo Recycling Center at Dare County Public Works will be open Saturday and Monday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tree limbs will be accepted at both Centers in addition to the usual recycling items.

The Manns Harbor Transfer Station will be open regular hours beginning Saturday.

Town of Duck
The Town of Duck today lifted the State of Emergency for Hurricane Earl. Roads throughout the Town of Duck are now clear and totally passable. Residential trash will be picked up on the next regularly scheduled collection day, which is Monday, September 6. Commercial trash pick-up is not affected.

Town of Kill Devil Hills
The Recycle Center is expected to operate on its normal schedule Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Town of Kitty Hawk
The Town of Kitty Hawk has rescinded their proclamation declaring a State of Emergency. The town has no ocean over wash and minor flooding due to rainwater. All roads are open. The recycling center will re-open tomorrow.

Town of Nags Head
The Town of Nags Head reports all routes open at this time. There was a little overwash in South Nags Head and only standing rain water in typical spots on South Old Oregon Inlet Road and South Virginia Dare Trail. There will be no trash collection in Nags Head today. The regular collection schedule will resume Saturday, weather permitting.

Town of Southern Shores
Mayor Hal Denny today lifted the State of Emergency proclamation existing since yesterday due to Hurricane Earl. The Public Works Department will be removing vegetative debris from town streets and rights of way over the next few business days.

National Park Service Outer Banks Group
All park visitor centers and campgrounds in Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial are closed until further notice. The reservation system for Ocracoke Campground has been temporarily suspended. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is closed until further notice. All ocean-side beach access for off-road vehicles is closed until a post-storm assessment can be completed.

Helpful Contact Information

Dare County Emergency Management 252-475-5655 or www.darenc.com
NC Ferry Division 1-800-BY-FERRY or www.ncferry.org
Dominion North Carolina Power 1-888-667-3000 or www.dom.com
Cape Hatteras Electric 1-866-511-9862 www.chec.coop
Tideland Electric – 1-800-637-1079 or 1-800-882-1001 www.tidelandemc.com
North Carolina Road Conditions 1-877-DOT-4YOU or www.ncsmartlink.org
North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) 1-877-DOT-4YOU
North Carolina Highway Patrol 1-800-441-6127
Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) 1-800-367-7623

Monitor local news outlets for further advisories from the National Weather Service and state and local emergency management officials. Bulletins will be issued as needed and available at www.darenc.com and on Government Access Channel 20.

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FROM HYDE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
The mandatory evacuation has been lifted for Ocracoke. The county is still under a state of emergency for today, Friday, September 3.

A tropical storm warning is in effect from Ocracoke inlet to the North Carolina/Virginia border.

No major structural damage and no injuries reported. Highways are reported open throughout the county.

Full power has been restored to all of Hyde County.

Damage assessments began at daybreak in Hyde County will be released as reported. Water should recede late morning into the afternoon as conditions improve.

Significant swells will continue a high risk of strong rip currents through the day. People are urged to stay out of the water.

Pay attention to Highway 12 on Ocracoke and Hatteras islands as overwash may make the route impassable. Currently, Highway 12 on Ocracoke is clear to Hatteras ferry from village by 4WD vehicles only. Be aware of standing water and sand on the road. NCDOT plans to have Highway 12 open to all traffic this afternoon.

A ferry will leave today at 3 PM from Swan Quarter to Ocracoke and 3:30 PM from Cedar Island to Ocracoke. It is anticipated that there will be three ferries from Cedar Island and two from Swan Quarter to Ocracoke today. Traffic as indicated by purple and green stickers will be allowed on the island. Vehicles with red stickers will be allowed on as space available. The State Highway Patrol shall restrict access without appropriate credentials. Ferries are not available to tourists and visitors today.

The Hatteras-Ocracoke route is not operating currently. This will be subject to change as road and weather conditions allow. We will release information when this route opens.

It is anticipated that the NC Ferry System will resume normal operations on Saturday, September 4 at 5 AM. Tolls will be waived for residents with appropriate stickers subject to availability.

This is the only information available at this time. Please tune in to local radio 90.1 FM on Ocracoke, the National Weather Service, and local television reports.

Hyde County Emergency Services continues to review the latest weather forecasts, is coordinating with the State and nearby counties, and advising citizens on possible actions to protect themselves and their property.

Please make yourselves aware of the state ferry system’s schedule and road conditions before making travel plans during this time and after the storm has passed.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 3, 2010

Contact: Communications Office, (919) 733-2522

NCDOT CREWS CONTINUE EFFORTS TO CLEAR N.C. 12 IN OUTER BANKS
Road remains closed south of Bonner Bridge at Oregon Inlet

RALEIGH — N.C. Department of Transportation crews are working today to clear sand and water from N.C. 12 along the Outer Banks resulting from Hurricane Earl. NCDOT had stationed 24 pieces of equipment along N.C. 12 to quickly respond to the storm, and now has 31 employees working to push sand and water off the road from Ocracoke to Kitty Hawk. N.C. 12 remains closed south of the Bonner Bridge at Oregon Inlet.

Water continues to recede in Kitty Hawk and crews have cleared the majority of sand from N.C. 12 in the Canal area on the northern end of Pea Island. Further south, crews continue to push sand and water off the road and are working to clear water from the S-Curves section near Rodanthe. The sand bags and sand fence in that area withstood the storm.

There has been significant sound side flooding around Hatteras, and crews continue to assess the area. A significant amount of water and sand up to three feet deep in some places have impacted travel in Ocracoke. Crews will continue working to clear the road.

Crews have done assessments throughout the other coastal counties. With the exception of N.C. 12 in Dare and Hyde counties, all roads are open and passable.

The department continues to coordinate with local emergency management to assess the damage to N.C. 12. High tide is expected around 3 p.m. and more information will be available after that time.

***NCDOT***

Bulletin Number: 10

Date/Time: 9/3/2010 11:11:45 AM

Evacuation Order Lifted for Portions of Dare County Today at 12:00 p.m.

A preliminary damage assessment by Dare County Emergency Management indicates that conditions following Hurricane Earl will allow re-entry at this time to the northern and mainland portions of Dare County.

Effective 12:00 p.m Friday, September 3, the mandatory evacuation order will be lifted for areas north of Oregon Inlet including the Towns of Duck, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Manteo, Nags Head, Southern Shores and the unincorporated areas of Dare County north of Oregon Inlet.

The Town of Duck is experiencing water on the road in the typical areas that would occur during any storm with heavy rains. The area in southern Duck at the intersection of NC 12 (Duck Road) and the Tuckahoe subdivision is still experiencing some flooding. Although it is passable, caution, patience, and extra time should be allocated when returning to Duck and Corolla.

The mandatory evacuation order for Hatteras Island remains in effect due to sand and standing water on NC Highway 12. Villages affected by the continuation of this evacuation order include Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras. Crews from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) are working to clear the roadway. An advisory will be issued when conditions safely allow the evacuation order for Hatteras Island to be lifted.

The bridges leading to Dare County are open and no re-entry pass is required. Motorists should be careful of standing rain water which may be on streets throughout the area. Proceed with caution as it is difficult to determine the water’s depth and can cause brake failure, loss of control, or vehicle flooding.

Visitors planning travel to Dare County should first consult with their accommodations provider to confirm lodging reservations.

Helpful Contact Information

Dare County Emergency Management 252-475-5655 or www.darenc.com
Dominion North Carolina Power 1-888-667-3000 or www.dom.com
Cape Hatteras Electric 1-866-511-9862 www.chec.coop
Tideland Electric 1-800-637-1079 or 1-800-882-1001 www.tidelandemc.com
North Carolina Ferry Division 1-800-BY-FERRY or www.ncferry.org
North Carolina Road Conditions 1-877-DOT-4YOU or www.ncsmartlink.org
Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) 1-800-367-7623
North Carolina Highway Patrol 1-800-441-6127

Bulletins will be released as needed and available at www.darenc.com and on Government Access Channel 20.

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Dear Guests,

Hurricane Earl is on its way out and preliminary reports are that there was thankfully less of an impact on Hatteras Island than anticipated.

There is both ocean overwash and soundside flooding affecting the island at this time, as well as scattered power outages. Once we receive news from the authorities as to the status of access to the island and the staged re-entry procedures we will communicate that information to you.

At this point, we do know that check-in on Saturday will at least be late and could be delayed even further.

Our offices are still closed due to the mandatory evacuation, but we are monitoring the situation and will continue to update you as information becomes available.

For official storm bulletins from Dare County, please visit www.darenc.com. As soon as we have information to report, we will update the outgoing message on our toll free number, as well as the news page on our website. We are also providing updates on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/surforsound.

We appreciate your patience with us as we gather reliable information and prepare the homes for your stay.

We look forward to seeing you this week!

Sincerely,

Your friends at Surf or Sound Realty

Dear Guests,

Even though our offices are closed for the evacuation of Hurricane Earl, we are continuing to monitor the situation and will provide you information as it becomes available. We will re-open our offices as soon as we are permitted back on the island by authorities.

If you have questions regarding entry onto Hatteras Island, please visit www.darenc.com for update bulletins from Dare County Emergency Management. Please be aware that entry on the island could still be prohibited even after the storm has passed due to potential impassable conditions on NC 12.

At this point, check-in on Saturday will at the very least, be late. It could possibly be delayed further depending on whether the authorities have re-opened access to visitors.

As soon as we have information available, we will update the outgoing message on our toll free number, as well as the news page on our website. We are also providing updates on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/surforsound.

If you have questions regarding travel insurance that you have purchased, please call Travel Guard directly at 1-877-254-8842. They are available 24/7 to answer your questions.

Thank you very much for choosing Surf or Sound Realty and for your patience and understanding through the storm. Please travel safely and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,

Your friends at Surf or Sound Realty