Sept. 8 10:50 am update. More to follow. Updated 1:03 p.m. as to donation phone numbers.
By Connie Leinbach
Sunday morning, the island is chaotic as islanders seek help for various needs, continue to attend to their flooded homes and businesses and also to help unload boats bringing supplies from Oriental, New Bern and Cedar Island.
Islanders are arriving at the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department, the command center, for supplies, information and to share stories.
Wendy Mayo, Shirley Mayo Ireland and several folks from Oriental arrived in five boats with donated supplies. Several boats from Cedar Island, New Bern and elsewhere also are arriving throughout the day.
Mental health professionals will be on the island tomorrow, said Laurie Potter, Hyde County social services director, said Sunday morning.
A truck with ice will arrive on the first Cedar Island ferry and will be available around 10:30 a.m. in the Native Seafood parking lot. Hardy Plyler said it will be doled out one cooler per household.
Arriving through Trillium on Monday will be a psychiatrist, a nurse and four clinicians.
They will be available for counseling from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Ocracoke Lifesaving Church, Lighthouse Road. No appointment is necessary, Potter said.
“Everybody I’ve seen is crying,” Potter said about day two of Hurricane Dorian’s aftermath. “Everybody is just tore up. It’s bad. People are just in total shock; disbelief.”
Save for a few, every business, home and building on Ocracoke got some damage due to the record flooding that over washed the island.
Boone Vandzura, chief Ranger for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, said the Ocracoke ponies are fine. He did not have details.
He and Dave Hallac, Cape Hatteras National Seashore superintendent, were on the 9:30 Swan Quarter ferry, and he said the boat was loaded with trucks, porta-potties and portable showers.
The Salvation Army set up food service at the Ocracoke Community Center with breakfast at 8 a.m., lunch at noon and dinner at 5 p.m.
Many off-islanders are offering help with various things, material, person-power and cash donations.
The Hyde County Emergency Operations Center is coordinating all that. Call 833-543-3248 to donate goods and services, but please be patient as they are getting inundated with calls.
Officials are working on a way to receive cash donations and the best way to distribute those.
