07/30/17

Dare County’s Mandatory Evacuation Remains in Place

07/30/2017 2:36 p.m.

Contact Dare County Emergency Management – 252.475.5655

Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative (CHEC) announced today that testing indicates all three cables providing power to Hatteras Island were compromised when steel casing was accidently driven into the transmission system on Thursday morning, July 27.

State officials have been in constant communication with Dare County officials offering the full support of the State of North Carolina to solve this unprecedented complete loss of power delivery to Hatteras Island.  Both County and State officials are committed and working with CHEC to bring all resources possible to pursue both temporary and permanent repair solutions. According to Emergency Management Director Drew Pearson, with very limited service restored using portable generators, the priority now is to expand that capability to deliver a level of service that will allow visitors to return to the island as soon as possible.

For updated information from CHEC regarding power restoration, visit www.chec.coop/ or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CapeHatterasElectricCoop/

The mandatory evacuation for all visitors to Hatteras Island remains in effect and includes the villages of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras.

Currently, Essential Personnel (Priority One), Permanent Residents & Essential Personnel for Critical Businesses (Priority Two), and Non-Resident Property Owners & Non-Resident Employees of Non-Critical Businesses (Priority Three) are allowed access to Hatteras Island with proper reentry credentials. Details regarding reentry procedures are available at darenc.com/reentry. As you approach the checkpoint north of the Bonner Bridge, please have your license, reentry pass, or tax bill readily available.

For those on Hatteras Island, it is important to remember that mandatory power and water conservation measures remain in effect. All Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative (CHEC) customers must remove air conditioning systems and hot tub heaters from the power grid by turning off system circuit breakers. In addition, mandatory water restrictions are in place prohibiting the filling of pools or hot tubs, the watering of lawns, and the watering of driveways or sidewalks for cleaning.

For any updates regarding the mandatory evacuation for Hatteras Island, visit www.darenc.com. Text “join hatteraspower” to 30890 to receive text message alerts.