By Connie Leinbach
As the north end of Ocracoke continues to be overwashed during King Tides and nor’easters, the Hyde County Board of Commissioners has asked Gov. Josh Stein to step in.
During its November board meeting, the commissioners approved sending a resolution and Board Chair Randal Mathews sent a letter to Gov. Josh Stein asking him to address “the imminent failure” of North Carolina Highway 12 on Ocracoke Island.
“This is no longer a matter of infrastructure,” he wrote. “It is an emergency threatening the very viability of our community. Recent and devastating storm damage has pushed this critical roadway past its breaking point. Highway 12, our singular, fragile connection to the mainland, is facing catastrophic collapse. Its loss would instantly:
- Maroon our residents, cutting off life-saving emergency medical services and essential supplies.
- Decimate the economy, ending tourism to our island abruptly and causing irreparable financial ruin for our local businesses.
“We cannot afford to wait. Every passing storm brings us closer to complete isolation. We must secure Ocracoke Island now.”
Mathews asked the state to immediately repair the sandbags at the north end and begin a beach nourishment study.
Then, he asked for immediate implementation of beach nourishment in the overwash area,
“This beach nourishment project will buy Ocracoke and the state of North Carolina valuable time to develop a long-term plan,” he said.
Next needed is fast-track development of long-term alternatives for this section of the island.
“Governor, the situation is critical,” Mathews wrote. “We implore you to treat this as an immediate state-level emergency. Your decisive action is required to prevent a full-scale disaster on Ocracoke Island.”
Mathews said on Dec. 17 that he hadn’t heard from Stein.
Several weeks ago, Dare County asked the state to declare an emergency on Hatteras Island, where houses are falling into the ocean, and for Ocracoke’s north end.
In late October, North Carolina State Senator Bobby Hanig (R-SD 1) submitted a written request to Stein urging the declaration of a State of Emergency for portions of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, specifically N.C. Highway 12 on Hatteras to Ocracoke Islands, in response to accelerating erosion and the resulting infrastructure damage in the Buxton and northern Ocracoke Island areas
“I expect Dare and Hyde will continue to pursue some type of emergency proclamation,” Mathews said. “The condition of NC12 is impacting our health and safety at least part of the time.”
Ferry operations/funding
North Carolina Ferry Division leaders say more than $92 million in new state funding, up from the current Ferry Division budget of about $70 million, is needed to maintain service, modernize key infrastructure and prevent breakdowns across the nation’s second-largest state-run ferry system.
The division operates 23 ferries and 11 support vessels on eight routes carrying about 1.47 million passengers per year. A 2020 analysis found the system supports roughly $735 million in statewide economic activity.
Several senators on the committee questioned the scale of the funding proposal and the state’s long-standing subsidies for ferry operations.
Sen. Bill Rabon, a Republican from Brunswick County, argued that ferry subsidies for Ocracoke residents have reached an excessive level.
“We’re spending about $25,000 per person, per year to support 700 people on Ocracoke,” Rabon said. “These numbers don’t add up, and we cannot ignore them.”
Following that and other comments, Hyde County Manager Kris Noble and Mathews met with the OCBA, Justin LeBlanc, who is the director of the Ocracoke Access Alliance, and Helena Stevens, the Tourism Development Authority director, to devise a joint plan of action and subsequent marketing/outreach campaign to counteract misconceptions about Ocracoke and rally for support to keep our access as an extension of the NC DOT Highway system.
Hyde County is planning a trip to Raleigh Jan. 12 and 13 to educate members of the NC General Assembly and staffers on what the ferry system does for the state.
“To the best of my knowledge, worldwide, all public transit systems, including ferries, are support with funding beyond toll collection,” LeBlanc said.
South Dock stabilization
Hyde County continues to advocate for the South Dock Ferry Terminal to be stabilized. After community and county input, this option was added to a slate of options for solutions to erosion issues at South Dock and is now being more closely investigated.
“Hyde County will continue to support this as a solution moving forward and will engage with federal, state and foundational agencies to advocate for this option,” Noble said.
Home elevation
Mathews said in an interview that while Hyde County is the facilitator for the next round of home elevations, it forwards all applications to the state.
Start dates have not been set.
Last year, 30 homes on Ocracoke were raised, and that took five years (after Dorian flooding).
One hundred applications have been submitted, but this is a state program funded through FEMA, which approves the elevations, he said. So, it’s not state or county making the decisions for each home.
The contractor that is awarded the bid works with the list of homeowners to determine when the house is raised. Some homeowners asked for extra time since they needed to relocate temporarily which can bump someone down the list as opposed to someone who is able to relocate with short notice.
The state has informed Hyde County that no contractor bids have been awarded, and it may be two years or more before elevations begin, Mathews said.
Hyde County does not receive any regular updates from the state or federal agencies.
Hannah Elkins, who is the grant administrator, is very knowledgeable about to home elevations can be reached at 252-926-4191.
When Hyde knows the schedule, it will be announced.
