N.C. Highway 12 north of Rodanthe on Friday, Oct. 11. Photo by NCDOT
RODANTHE – The N.C. Department of Transportation is warning motorists along the Outer Banks to expect portions of N.C. 12 to be closed for extended periods during high tide cycles over the next few days as a storm system lingers off the Atlantic coast.
Motorists should avoid driving through standing or rushing water and should not drive around barricades or signs, as these are put in place for peoples’ safety. Most flood-related drownings occur when someone drives through standing or rushing water.
N.C. 12 was closed between the Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe Thursday evening and again Friday morning. NCDOT officials are warning the pattern will continue until the storm moves away. Crews will be working diligently to clear the roadway when conditions permit, but each high tide cycle brings ocean overwash and sand back onto the highway.
High tide Friday was at 7 p.m. and will be at 7:18 a.m. and 7:35 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, high tide will be at 7:52 a.m. and 8:09 p.m.
Even when open, motorists should proceed with extreme caution and never drive into floodwaters.
Oceanside flooding was also reported at other hot spots on Hatteras Island on Friday morning, including north Buxton and the Ocean View Drive area of Avon, with ocean water spilling over onto the highway.
The ocean overwash is due to a large low pressure system that is lingering off the Mid-Atlantic coast. Dangerous surf conditions, including rip currents, beach erosion and continued ocean overwash are forecast along the Outer Banks into this weekend, with the most significant impacts expected along the ocean side north of Cape Hatteras.
Seas will run between 10 to 14 feet just offshore from the Outer Banks north of Cape Hatteras, and a high surf advisory has been posted until Saturday morning for breaking waves of 6 to 9 feet onshore.
A letter stamp dated Oct. 8 from FEMA to Gov. Roy Cooper’s denied his Sept. 21 request for Individual Assistance for four counties as a result of Hurricane Dorian. The letter, signed by Jeff Byard, Associate Administrator, Office of Response and Recovery, states “it has been determined that the impact to the individuals and households from this event is not of such severity and magnitude to warrant the designation of Individual Assistance under FEMA-444-Dr.”
The governor’s office only became aware of the decision last evening, according to Cooper’s press secretary Ford Porter.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, second from left, when he visited Ocracoke Sept. 7 right after Dorian. With him at the Ocracoke air strip are Tom Pahl, left, Rep. Tim Moore, speaker of the N.C. House, and Hyde County Sheriff Guire Cahoon. Photo: C. Leinbach
He had sent out a press release at 1:46 p.m. Tuesday with the governor urging North Carolina’s U.S. senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis to help get Individual Assistance for North Carolinians impacted by Hurricane Dorian.
The press release included his Oct. 8 letter to the two senators and states “Ocracoke Island in Hyde County bore the brunt of Dorian’s impact, and its residents continue to face difficult conditions as they await more help.”
The Individual Assistance request filed on Sept. 21, covered Carteret, Dare, Hyde, and New Hanover counties. Individual Assistance can provide federal dollars to individuals to cover temporary housing assistance, lodging expenses reimbursement, home repair, home replacement, housing construction, and funds related to other disaster caused losses and damage.
Public Assistance under FEMA was requested by the governor on Sept. 13 and approved on Oct. 4. This program provides reimbursement to local governments for costs of debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures and the repair, replacement or restoration of disaster-damaged publicly owned facilities.
Ocracoke’s county commissioner, Tom Pahl, said he was disappointed by the decision noting the impact Dorian has had on individuals on the island. “It hurts the most to be denied by the federal government the kind of assistance other people have received in similar circumstances,” he said.
Pahl said a meeting is scheduled today at 1 p.m. with Hyde County officials and others, including the governor’s office, to see what the next steps will be. The meeting agenda will include discussing an appeal and what state resources would come into play in the absence of the individual assistance by the federal government. “It’s not like we haven’t had these conversations before,” he said. “But with the official denial, we want to have clear commitments and answers.”
Rep. Greg Murphy talks with islanders at the OVFD Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. Photo: P. Vankevich
Rep. Greg Murphy provided a statement this morning via his press secretary, “I am disappointed to hear that Individual Assistance for Hurricane Dorian has been denied under the requirements set forth in the 1987 Stafford Act. That said we are committed to working with the Governor to explore all avenues, either appeal or seeking a state disaster declaration, that will provide relief to those in need as quickly as possible.”
The denial by FEMA may be appealed within 30 days as of yesterday’s date.
Word spread on social media this morning that ABC News wanted to do a remote interview on how the community was reacting to the Individual Assistance denial. Approximately 100 people showed up. Islanders Stephanie O’Neal, Jason Wells and Tom Pahl expressed their dismay via cell phone and a videographer.
At noon today, Gov. Cooper put out another press release calling on Congress to make critical reforms to long-term federal disaster recovery programs. Governors from Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin sent a letter to Congressional leadership advocating for faster, more efficient help.
As the number of natural disasters lashing our country grows, it is increasingly important to streamline disaster recovery programs to help survivors get the resources they need as quickly as possible, the letter said.
“We need Congress to make important changes to federal disaster recovery programs,” said Cooper. “When a disaster strikes, it doesn’t discriminate between Democrats or Republicans and we need continued bipartisan cooperation to make these common sense recovery changes. The people of North Carolina are a strong and resilient bunch, but we cannot continue to wait on Washington to get necessary aid to disaster survivors.”
Jaki Shelton Green and island writer Kelley Shinn. Photo: P Vankevich
Editor’s note: Jaki Shelton Green was appointed last year by Gov. Roy Cooper to serve as North Carolina’s ninthPoet Laureate.She is a frequent visitor to Ocracoke and holds workshops on the island for her writer’s group, SistaWrite.
Distant Lover,
If coastal trails, marshes, and the hammock on the porch at the Crews Inn could talk, you’d already know and understand how deeply I am wooing you back to my heart. I love your rich vibrant heritage, your wild and untamed winds, your sea birds, and the lull of ocean that moves me to write and dance when I’m cruising in your arms.
Over and over again, you have called out to me and my band of writing mermaids to run away from our frenetic paces and sojourn to your maritime views and salty ghosts who guide our pens in the nakedness of your quiet nights. It is here where I remember to breathe deeply.
My Dear Ocracoke, I have seen you swimming in shallow waters before. I’ve heard you crying inside your fish nets, your crab pots, and slowly crawling back from the storm’s lash.
But this time, far away, I too felt the gut-wrenching quiet screams you held back from the children. I felt the white-knuckled fear that bound you hostage throughout the night as your house swayed with an uninvited dancer.
I counted the days with you as you cried out for help. Over social media, Face Time, Instagram we wept together as I stumbled with you in and out of kitchens, bedrooms, porches covered in mud and storm debris.
I have been grieving your losses while celebrating your tenacious will to rise, reclaim, recover, repurpose, and resist. This is why I love you unconditionally.
Your arms hold a community of life that becomes legend. I know that I am not the only one that you hold so close that I can hear your heartbeat, but you have always made me think that it’s only me.
I know about the time a few Thanksgivings ago when my family went to the beach and you decided to creep in. I think my mom (who is 103 years old now) was secretly waiting for you to open all the windows and doors at our home away from home.
I thought it strange that my elderly, cautious, timid mom was rushing us out so she could nap on the couch alone in a house she didn’t know. You rushed right in, tender breezes caressing her tiredness, covering her spirits with a blanket of sweetness while she dreamed all afternoon about swimming with dolphins.
Under other circumstances, I would have been heartbroken that another human had experienced such gentleness from my distant lover of so many years. But, I have accepted your dalliances…a lover of all seasons and all generations.
My Dear Ocracoke, I am writing to you because you must never think that I would run away from you now in these troubled times. I am here, your distant lover, committed to holding you now and forever through the thick and thin of it all.
Your sunsets, your stray whispers, and our midnight full moon baths are all I need from you right now. I’m coming soon and I won’t be surprised by all the lovers stroking your back… after all, it takes a village.
Forever, your distant lover,
Jaki Shelton Green
P.S. It is imperative that this letter be read while listening to Distant Lover by Marvin Gaye
The National Weather Service out of Morehead City/Newport reported today that a low pressure area will become stalled off the Mid-Atlantic coast this week bringing prolonged northerly winds that could bring coastal flooding and beach/dune erosion impacts from mid-week into the weekend.
Details with this system are uncertain and will ultimately depend on the strength of the low and where it decides to stall, according to a press release.
An updated two-day tropical outlook is below and the link in the graphic is here.
North Carolinians are determined, tough people. For generations, our families have weathered brutal hurricanes. But recent history tells us there’s a new normal when it comes to these storms, and if we don’t rise to the challenge, then rising water will get the best of us.
Matthew, Florence, Dorian. Three powerful storms to strike North Carolina in less than three years, with each one less welcome than the last.
In September 2018, Hurricane Florence was a double gut punch to many people still recovering from Hurricane Matthew 23 months before. When you have two so-called “500-year floods” in two years, it’s clearly not a 500-year event anymore. As Florence dumped as much as 34 inches of rain on our state, we knew we’d need a plan to recover not just stronger, but smarter.
In the days after Florence, we moved to stand up the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR), fixing many of the problems that the state legislature created when it cut long-term housing experts and moved recovery operations to an agency that had never handled long-term recovery.
With less than a year under its belt, NCORR is a national model for how to prepare for and recover from these mega storms. NCORR moved swiftly to hire staff experts and build capacity to get recovery funding out faster to people in need. As for resiliency, the agency is tasked with ensuring that every policy is designed with prevention in mind to ensure our state can bounce back quicker from future storms.
While we appreciate relief and recovery assistance from the federal government, we need Washington to do better. Right now, long-term federal housing money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) known as CDBG-DR gets passed by Congress and announced with great fanfare. But then affected states are left to wait months – sometimes more than a year and a half – before HUD publishes the Federal Register, which is only the first required step in a lengthy and bureaucratic approval process setting out how that money can be spent. We still don’t yet have a dime of CDBG-DR money for Florence that happened more than a year ago, and now we’ve just had another hurricane.
I’ve met with the president and our Congressional representatives to push for changes. Specifically, we need Congress to require HUD to publish program requirements in the Federal Register within a much shorter time frame. Or, better yet, Congress could get the money to us even faster by formally authorizing the CDBG-DR program so that Federal Register instructions aren’t even needed. Legislation to do this has been introduced in the House and the Senate, and Congress needs to pass it.
Another critical reform would create a universal application for disaster survivors that would be shared among FEMA, HUD and the Small Business Administration so people busy with recovery only need to fill out one application. This would also lead to seamless interagency data sharing, enabling better communication and coordination, and ultimately, faster disbursement of funds.
The CDBG-DR funds are just one portion of the disaster relief money, though, and despite the flaws with the HUD process, North Carolina has spent $2.8 billion in state and federal money to recover from Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. With state funds, North Carolina has been able to pick up some of the federal slack.
And, as we look forward, the days of climate change denial in North Carolina are over. I issued Executive Order 80 last October to do our part in the fight against climate change, which we know is a driving force behind these increasingly destructive storms. Our clean energy plan will reduce our greenhouse gases and push for clean and renewable energy.
When storms like Matthew, Florence and Dorian arrive, it’s houses and businesses that are damaged, but it’s homes and livelihoods that are lost. Those special places where people live and work are washed away in an instant.
I’ll keep fighting for North Carolinians recovering from these storms, working to rebuild their lives and protect themselves from the next storm. We owe it to them to deliver on our mission for a stronger, smarter North Carolina.
Here is a list of Ocracoke’s federal, state and county representatives.
U.S. Congress U.S. Congressional offices (House and Senate) can be patched in by dialing (202) 225-3121.
U.S. Senator Richard Burr 185 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-6342, Winston-Salem office at (800) 685-8916 Fax: (202) 228-2563
Congressman Greg Murphy Third District of North Carolina 2333 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC20515 Phone: (202) 225-3415 1105 #C Corporate Dr. Greenville, NC 27858
Governor Roy Cooper https://governor.nc.gov/
1 E. Edenton St. Raleigh, NC, 27601 Phone: 919-814-2000 and 800-662-7952
North Carolina General Assembly: Senator Bob Steinburg 300 N. Salisbury Street, Rm. 301-B Raleigh, NC 27603 Office phone: (919) 715-8293 Email: Bob.Steinburg@ncleg.net
Representative Bobby Hannig 300 N. Salisbury Street, Rm. 604 Raleigh, NC 27603-5925 Office phone: 919-733-5906 Email: Bobby.Hanig@ncleg.net
The North Carolina Ferry System on Tuesday (Oct. 8) will change the schedule for its Cedar Island-Ocracoke and Swan Quarter-Ocracoke routes while the island continues to recover from Hurricane Dorian.
At this time Ocracoke remains open only to residents, non-resident property owners and personnel approved by Hyde County for re-entry.
The ferry schedule as of Tuesday will be as follows:
Swan Quarter-Ocracoke: 10 a.m., noon. and 4 p.m.
Ocracoke-Swan Quarter: 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Cedar Island-Ocracoke: 6:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Ocracoke-Cedar Island: 7 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
In addition, there will be an additional run for fuel and vendor deliveries on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays departing Swan Quarter for Ocracoke at 7:30 a.m. and departing from Ocracoke to Swan Quarter at 2 p.m.
Reservations on these routes are highly recommended and can be obtained by calling 1-800-BY-FERRY.
All reservation holders must arrive at the terminal one hour before departure time. In addition, same-day reservations for ferries departing Ocracoke are not available, and next-day reservations must be made before 4 p.m. Passengers without reservations will be placed in a standby line and be allowed on ferries if space is available.
Volunteer groups approved to access Ocracoke are encouraged to board the ferries without vehicles to leave as much deck space as possible for vehicles necessary for hurricane recovery services.
N.C. 12 is open for locals and for for those with 4WD vehicles, access to the north end of the island and south dock. Photo by Stacey Sigler
By Connie Leinbach
Part of N.C. 12 on Ocracoke, from the National Park Service campground to the breach area, reopened to local traffic today, said Stacey Sigler, safety, health and wellness program manager for Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
The road was closed after Hurricane Dorian hit Sept. 6 and powerful overwash badly damaged two 500 foot sections and left fallen trees along the road.
The Ocracoke ponies fared well from the storm, Chief Ranger Boone Vandzura had said after the storm, but the fencing did not.
On Thursday, N.C. DOT opened the breach area of N.C. 12 but only for light, 4WD vehicles to be able to access the Hatteras ferry from the north end of the island.
Sigler said today that a pilot car precedes the vehicles in driving along the sound side of the roads in these breach spots.
The schedule for this added route is
Hatteras to Ocracoke-South Dock: 6:15, 7, and 9 a.m., 4:45, 6, and 7:30 p.m.
Ocracoke-South Dock to Hatteras: 7:30, 8:30 and 10:15 a.m., 6:30, 7:30, and 9 p.m.
This access will be limited to four-wheel drive vehicles that are rated at ¾ ton capacity or smaller (such as Ford F250, GM K2500, Ram 2500, etc.). Trailers are not allowed at this time.
Reservations are not available on the Hatteras-Ocracoke South Dock route. Vehicles will be loaded by the re-entry priority procedures established by Hyde County. Motorists should arrive 30 minutes before departure time.
With the exception of Ramps 70 (airport ramp) and 72 (South Point), all other beach ramps remain closed, Sigler said.
This story was updated Oct. 5 from an earlier version.
The Cape Hatteras National Seashore opened N.C. 12 today (Oct. 4). Photo: C. Leinbach
President Trump today approved FEMA public assistance for debris removal and emergency help, but Individual Assistance–to help families rebuild homes like this one demolished two days ago–is still pending. Photo: C. Leinbach
Oct. 4, 2019. 3:01 p.m. From our news sources.
President Donald Trump today approved Gov. Roy Cooper’s request for a major disaster declaration for Public Assistance for the following counties impacted by Hurricane Dorian: Brunswick, Carteret, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Hyde, Jones, New Hanover, Pamlico, Pender, Sampson, Tyrrell, and Washington.
The major disaster declaration allows impacted counties to receive support from FEMA’s Public Assistance program which provides reimbursement to local governments for costs of debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures and the repair, replacement or restoration of disaster-damaged publicly owned facilities, a press release from Cooper’s office said. Certain private non-profit organizations can also be eligible for reimbursement.
North Carolina requested Public Assistance on Sept. 13 and Cooper on Sept. 21 requested a major disaster declaration for Individual Assistance, which, if approved, would provide grants to residents who suffered damages from Dorian and could open the door to additional FEMA recovery programs such as temporary housing.
The individual assistance request remains under review and state officials have urged federal agencies and North Carolina’s congressional delegation to work to expedite federal approval.
Ocracoke faces unique challenges and the state continues to provide critical support services to the island
“North Carolina’s coastal communities – particularly Ocracoke and those on the Outer Banks – were hit hard by Hurricane Dorian and it’s critical that they have access to FEMA Public Assistance and the federal resources necessary to recover,” Cooper said. “This is a positive step and we continue to urge our federal partners and North Carolina’s congressional delegation to work to expedite approval of our request for Individual Assistance for families whose homes were destroyed as well.”
Dorian flood waters reached the level of the door windows at the Deepwater Theater. Ocracoke Alive has received a rapid response grant from the Outer Banks Community Foundation. Photo by David Tweedie
The Outer Banks Community Foundation in Southern Shores has awarded over $70,000 in Rapid Response Grants to nonprofits that are leading disaster relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian and to nonprofits that were devastated by the storm.
The Community Foundation has been busily raising money to help families and individuals from Ocracoke and Dare County recover from the storm.
However, the funding for the Rapid Response Grants is from the foundation’s own endowment and is in addition to—and separate from—the new money raised for Ocracoke and Hatteras residents.
Ocracoke sustained more damage from flooding than Hatteras, and several island nonprofits received rapid response grants to repair facilities and/or replace damaged equipment.
The Ocracoke Seafood Company, owned and operated by the nonprofit Ocracoke Working Watermen’s Association, was flooded and its ice house and retail space destroyed. OWWA received an $8,000 grant to repair its ice house in time for the fall southern flounder fishery, which is economically important to local fishermen.
“The Ocracoke Food Pantry, the Ocracoke Community Park, Deepwater Theater, the Ocracoke Community Library—all operated by nonprofits, all sustained debilitating storm damage,” said Lorelei Costa, executive director. “Our primary focus has been raising funds to assist residents that were incapacitated by Dorian, but with the Rapid Response Grants, we are also recognizing that many of our local nonprofits were just as hard hit.
“As soon as the storm winds died, nonprofits and volunteers were on the ground, in the receding waters, assisting storm victims—feeding people, mucking out houses, clearing debris, providing supplies. Some of our nonprofits did this with no funding, or they depleted their hard-won reserves in order to provide emergency services to their neighbors.”
Among the recipients of the rapid response grants were Hatteras Island Community Emergency Response Team, Ocracoke Fire Prevention Association, Interfaith Community Outreach, and Cape Hatteras United Methodist Men. All four nonprofits received grants for supplies, equipment, and tools to aid in their disaster recovery efforts.
The Beach Food Pantry, which has been supplying fresh fruits and vegetables to Ocracoke, received support, along with Hatteras Island Meals, the Food Bank of the Albemarle, and the Elizabeth City Corps of the Salvation Army, which has been providing hot meals to storm victims and first responders.
Even on Roanoke Island, the Elizabethan Gardens lost a greenhouse, fencing, electrical systems, and numerous trees and plantings. An anonymous donor-advised fund at the foundation will be assisting the gardens with their rebuild.
The Rapid Response Grants were supported by the foundation’s largest and broadest grant-making pool, the Community Fund, as well as numerous donor-advised and designated funds at the Community Foundation, including the Cathi Ostrander Family Fund, the Charles H. & Dorothy S. Luedemann Arts Fund, the Hatteras Fund, the Kelly Family Fund, the Preston Family Fund, the Shirley & David Doran Memorial Fund, the Simpson Sharp Oakes Fund and the Spencer Family Fund.
The Outer Banks Community Foundation continues to collect financial contributions to assist individuals and families in Dare County and Ocracoke who have been devastated by Hurricane Dorian.
All contributions are tax-deductible, and every penny of every gift will be used to directly assist local individuals and families. Donations can be made securely online at www.obxdisaster.org.
