Update, March 16 7 am: We have expanded the wind advisory further west for gusty south winds of up to 45-50 mph this afternoon to early evening. Key Messages Enhanced (Level 3 of 5) risk of severe thunderstorms, with the risk increasing to Moderate (Level 4 of 5) risk further to the west. Damaging winds are the main concern, with a threat for a few tornadoes as well. Gusts in excess of 70 mph, and a few strong tornadoes (EF2+) are possible. Threat timing will be focused on this afternoon into early evening. The tornado threat will be highest Noon to 5 pm, with the wind risk peaking Noon to 10 pm.
From our news services
The North Carolina Weather Forecast Office out of Newport/Morehead Cityvvhas issued a severe weather alert for eastern North Carolina from Sunday afternoon (March 15) through 2 a.m. Tuesday.
This afternoon and evening a warm front will bring conditions favorable for strong to marginally severe thunderstorms.
After that, a strong cold front will move through late Monday, with the potential for strong to severe thunderstorms throughout the day Monday.
Primary threats include damaging wind gusts, strong tornadoes, and small hail.
The greatest risk is expected Monday afternoon and evening, with damaging winds and tornadoes most likely. Wind gusts over 70 mph and a few strong tornadoes (EF2 or stronger) are possible.
-High winds may force temporary suspension of ferry operations until conditions improve.
Advisories:
– A High Surf Advisory is in effect from 4 p.m. Sunday through 2 a.m. Tuesday for East Carteret, Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands.
– Large breaking waves of 6–9 feet are expected, affecting beaches from Oregon Inlet to Cape Lookout.
– Dangerous swimming and surfing conditions and areas of localized beach erosion are expected.
– Strong winds will build seas and increase the risk of ocean overwash in vulnerable coastal areas exposed to strong southerly swells.
This bottle with Hannah Belch’s message was found on the beach in Exuma, Bahamas. Photo courtesy of Charles Temple
By Connie Leinbach
Even if Ocracoke School graduates don’t venture far and wide into the outside world, their messages may.
That is, messages in bottles that their high school English teacher Charles Temple makes sure get tossed into the Gulf Stream and then who knows where they end up.
In December, a bottle with a message from 2021 graduate Hannah Belch was found on an Exuma, Bahamas, beach.
“So, that means, as best I can figure, that it made an entire circuit of the North Atlantic, following the Gulf Stream to just south of Ireland, hitching a ride south on the Canary Current, then heading back west on the Atlantic North Equatorial Current, and then pulled into the Bahamas banks,” Temple said about this activity.
Since Belch’s bottle had been floating in the current for four years it might have gone around twice, Temple said.
A few years ago, he began this activity of having the graduating class enclose messages in empty wine bottles, sealing them back up and then dropping them into the Gulf Stream, which heads north about 200 miles off Ocracoke.
“We don’t want them coming back to our beach,” he said.
If Temple himself doesn’t make the trip to the Gulf Stream, Ernie Doshier, captain of the sportfishing boat Gecko, or other friends will take the bottles.
“When the kids graduate, they’re launching out and we don’t know where they’re going to end up and it felt like kind of a cool metaphor for me and sort of apt for where we are and the life we’re sending them away from,” Temple said.
Each student gets a bottle, and the message is from Temple but with an individualized note about each youth. It also contains Temple’s email so that if they’re found, they can inform Temple.
While beach combing, a yacht captain out of Nassau found Belch’s bottle, Temple said.
“He plans to throw it off a bridge in the Great Lakes,” Temple said.
He doesn’t ask in the note for the finders to send the bottles back and dozens are still out there.
“I had a bunch one year found in Long Island and Nantucket only about six months after we launched them,” he said.
Others were found in Portugal, France, Morocco and one in the UK.
Students from prior classes asked why they didn’t get the chance to send bottles out.
“So, I’m thinking about packing up a bottle for each class,” he said.
Belch graduated college in December with a bachelor’s in kinesiology and is headed to grad school for a master’s degree in athletic training.
“I love it when one of the bottles comes back to shore,” Temple said in a Facebook post. “Sending the bottles out feels quite similar to watching a class graduate. You have an idea where they’re heading, but no clue where they’ll end up.”
The only traffic lights in Hyde County are placed temporarily at the north end of Ocracoke while the road is one way during the sandbag replacement project by NCDOT. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
N.C. State University professor Dr. K.C. Busch and her team are seeking further dialogue with the Ocracoke community about NC Highway 12 and access issues and will seek further input from islanders on April 9 and 10.
The team was here in September to discuss their findings from the study they did on Ocracoke’s physical environment and how that might change and affect access.
Busch is part of the research team that last year presented findings on their simulations of what might happen to the island’s landscape under different road management scenarios.
Busch would like to speak with residents again and will be in the Ocracoke Community Center for two meetings.
Those are scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 9, and from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, April 10.
Dr. Laura Moore has put together two videos about the results of the model simulations. Here is the link for those videos: https://cecl.online/research-projects/
She would like those interested to RSVP to the email in the flyer below.
Justin LeBlanc, Ocracoke Access Alliance executive director, and Bob Chestnut, owner of Ride the Wind Surf Shop, outside the office of N.C. Senator Thom Tillis. Photo courtesy of Justin LeBlanc
The OAA will hold a community meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday March 31 in the Community Center to discuss its recent work and the prospect of ferry tolls on the Hatteras ferry. Bob Chestnut, chair of the Ocracoke Civic & Business Association, will give an update at the organiztion’s monthly meeting at 6 p.m Tuesday, March 17.
From our news services
Washington, DC — Representatives of the Ocracoke Access Alliance (OAA) traveled to Washington, D.C., this week to meet with members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation regarding potential federal funding to address the long-standing transportation challenges posed by the NC12 “Ocracoke hotspot.”
The hotspot is a two-mile stretch at the north end of the island that has narrowed from erosion and which is frequently washed over by the ocean. Sandbags help keep the ocean on its side.
The delegation met with the offices of U.S. Senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis and U.S. Representatives Don Davis and Greg Murphy to discuss two priority projects aimed at improving the reliability and resilience of NC12, the island’s only roadway connection to the mainland ferry system and a critical economic lifeline for residents, visitors and local businesses.
The alliance is seeking federal support for two initiatives:
• $4 million in Community Project Funding for the design, engineering, and construction of a modest road shift of NC-12 approximately 30 feet toward the soundside within the existing right-of-way at the Ocracoke hotspot. This practical interim solution would provide additional room for sandbags, dune building and storm protection measures while longer-term coastal resilience strategies are evaluated.
• $300,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to conduct a feasibility study on beach nourishment options that could help stabilize the ocean shoreline near the hotspot and reduce the frequency of overwash events that close the highway.
“NC12 is the lifeline of Ocracoke Island,” said Justin LeBlanc, the alliance executive director. “When overwash closes the road, it disrupts travel, tourism, emergency services and commerce. These projects represent practical, cost-effective steps that can significantly improve the reliability of the island’s transportation network.”
The alliance expressed appreciation for the strong local support that has emerged for these initiatives. In particular, the organization thanked Hyde County, the Ocracoke Travel & Tourism Development Authority, and the Ocracoke Occupancy Tax Board for providing letters of support recognizing the importance of addressing the Hotspot.
“Local leaders understand that protecting NC-12 protects the island’s economy, quality of life, and public safety,” LeBlanc noted. “Their support has been invaluable as we work with federal partners to advance solutions.”
The alliance is encouraging residents, property owners, businesses and ferry users who depend on reliable access to the island to express their support for these efforts.
Community members are encouraged to contact:
• Senators Budd and Tillis to express support for funding the $300,000 beach nourishment feasibility study, and • Representatives Davis and Murphy to support the $4 million NC12 road shift project.
“Strong community voices help demonstrate to Congress that protecting access to Ocracoke Island is a priority not just for residents, but for visitors, businesses, and the broader North Carolina economy,” LeBlanc said.
The OAA is a nonprofit organization formed to push for greater state and federal investment in ferry services, NC12, and other critical infrastructure that ensures safe and reliable access continue working with federal, state, and local partners to advance both near-term and long-term solutions that ensure safe, reliable access to Ocracoke Island.
Senator Thom Tillis: 113 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-6342
Senator Ted Budd: 354 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3154
Representative Greg Murphy: 407 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3415
Representative Don Davis: 1123 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3101
NC Shell Club members display their ‘Find of the Day’ items. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
In addition to a trip to Portsmouth Island to seek shell treasures, the North Carolina Shell Club will have two shell auctions during their spring meeting Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21, in the Community Center.
The club typically has its spring meeting on Ocracoke, and after shelling during the days, regroups for meetings in the evenings to which the public is invited.
The following activities are planned, and nonmembers are invited to attend:
Friday, March 20: 6 pm: Pizza social (optional) at the Ocracoke Community Center. $8 per person; drinks provided; RSVP required by March 12: Maria Lloyd, beachblessings108@gmail.com
6:30 pm: Registration and social greetings; view Silent Auction items.
7 pm: Club updates
7:40 pm: Guest speaker: Chester Lynn.An Ocracoke native and resident, Chester will share Ocracoke and Portsmouth stories (including Portsmouth Scotch-bonnet shelling). He is also an expert in the Ocracoke dialect and the fig trees that are common on Ocracoke and Portsmouth. The earliest record of Chester’s ancestors on Portsmouth was the 1790 census, and he can trace his lineage back to two of the men who sailed with Blackbeard.
Saturday, March 21: 8 am to 1 pm: Shelling trip to Portsmouth Island(weather permitting). Club members and their guests only. Cost TBD. Boat departure from the Park Service dock next to ferry landing will be announced at the Friday meeting. Do not have to sign up; first come-first served. Will collect fees at the dock when loading.
4:30 – 6:30 pm: Group Dinner (optional); Howard’s Pub; no host, each guest responsible for their meal.
6:30 pm: Registration and social at the Community Center
7 pm: Club updates and “Finds of the Day” announced
Hyde County EMS Chief Brook Cox sits in the Blackfly, an electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. With her from left: Johnny Gibbs, Deputy Director of Emergency Management/Fire Marshal, Joey Williams, Hyde County Emergency Management Director and Sheriff Guire Cahoon.
By Connie Leinbach
Hyde County Emergency Services will soon be airborne in a first-in-the-nation trial program using an ultralight aircraft.
The Blackfly, an electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing biplane, or eVTOL, made by Pivotal of Palo Alto, California, will arrive on the mainland on Saturday (March 14) for a two-month evaluation.
Hyde County EMS Chief Brook Cox presented the idea to the Hyde County commissioners at their February meeting.
A meet-and-greet with the EMS Department and the eVTOL, will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Hyde County airport, 470 Airport Road, Engelhard.
This battery-powered aircraft has four propellers on the front and four in the back and takes off and lands vertically, Cox explained during the presentation.
The 60-day trial period will be a “proof of concept” to determine if the plane is feasible as an additional tool for both for medical emergencies, search-and-rescue or other law enforcement needs by the sheriff’s department, which oversees the EMS department.
“It’s simple and light, and we want to be on the forefront,” Cox said. “This plane can go where you can only parachute. It is another tool to help people.”
The Hyde experiment is also a first for Pivotal as this aircraft until now has been used only by private citizens, according to the Pivotal website, which manufactures these ultralight aircraft.
The plane holds only one person, who, in Hyde’s case will be a paramedic trained to pilot the aircraft, and it will also hold a cardiac monitor and an oxygen unit, Cox said.
“(The aircraft is) basically to get someone stabilized until a vehicle can get there,” said Heidi Groshelle, Pivotal spokesperson. “Hyde County’s large, rural geography makes it an ideal real-world testbed for this new approach to emergency medical access.”
The aircraft has a range of 20 miles before it must be recharged, which takes about 75 minutes, she said. It needs a 100-foot by 100-foot area in which to land.
Hyde is partnering with Code Blue Resources of Wake Forest, a critical care training company, for three part-time paramedic pilots who will participate in the evaluation.
A screenshot of the Pivotal, repleat with the Hyde County EMS logo, that will arrive on Hyde County this weekend for a two-month evaluation.
Cox said in a later interview that having this aircraft to evaluate is a great opportunity.
Hyde County is a good test site because it is so vast and flat, and then there’s Ocracoke across the Pamlico Sound.
Wind gusts can help the plane fly, Cox said, and Groshelle said maximum wind for flight is 23 knots; for takeoff are nine knots; four knots for crosswinds and three knots for tailwinds. Maximum altitude is 200 to 400 feet.
“Creating this program with Hyde County and Code Blue Resources marks a definitive milestone for advanced air mobility. For the first time, eVTOL technology is being deployed to support active public safety operations,” said Pivotal CEO Ken Karklin in a press release. “The initial phase is designed to build the framework for sustained Airmobile Emergency Services response, and we expect it could deliver measurable life-saving benefits from the start.”
Groshelle said the aircraft’s price starts at $190,000 and goes up to $260,000, depending on what accessories, such as trailers, a customer wants.
Last year, Cox said, Hyde County EMS had 1,400 calls, averaging about three calls a day.
Their calls last a longer time because of the geographical size of the county and the time it takes to get to the nearest hospitals, which is in (little) Washington to the west or OBX Hospital to the east in Nags Head.
“Our people have to be at the top of their game,” she said about the EMTs’ skills.
Because of Hyde’s uniqueness, she wants to hire people who really care.
“In Hyde County, you’ve got to think outside the box,” she said. “There are different challenges here but we’re pretty special.”
This story was corrected from an earlier version as to the aircraft’s range, the time it takes to recharge the battery and the amount of space it needs in which to land.
Early spring visitors at the Ocracoke shore. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
Monday, March 9: Ocracoke Alive: Spanish/English Coffee hour, 8:30 to 9:30 am. Ocracoke Library, and every Monday through March 23
Ocracoke Alive: Envisioning the future of Ocracoke, the first of eight discussion-based, creative workshops about the island’s long-term future, with Hannah Aronson, a master of city planning student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will facilitate the sessions that will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays; also March17 and 23, in the Deepwater Theater.
Ocracoke Alive: ESL English/Spanish, 7 pm. Ocracoke Community Library
Tuesday, March 10: Ocracoke Alive: Decorating cookies with Debbie Leonard OUMC Rec hall. 6 pm.
Ocracoke Alive: Yoga in Spanish, 7:30 pm. Deepwater Theater.
Wednesday, March 11: Ocracoke Alive: Yoga in Spanish with Sarah Shellow, 8:30 to 9:30 am. Deepwater Theater.
Ocracoke Alive: Pastels with Dan Curry (Session 1), 6 pm. Deepwater Theater
Thursday, March 12: Ocracoke Alive: 9:30am – 10:30am. Ukulele/Guitar with Lou Castro. Deepwater Theater.
Ocracoke Alive: Latin cardio dance class with Arturo. 6 pm. Community Center.
Ocracoke Alive: Pastels with Dan Curry (Session 2)
Friday, March 13: Ocracoke Alive: Latino dance: workshop, 8 pm; community dance, 9 pm. Community Center.
Saturday, March 14: Ocracoke Alive: Community potluck. 5 pm. Ocracoke Life Saving Church
Sunday, March 15: Church services: Ocracoke United Methodist Church, 11 am Ocracoke Life Saving Church, 11 am
Stella Maris Chapel: Sunday Mass time at 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Go to Masstimes.org and type in the zip code 27960 but refresh your browser for it to work properly.
Ocracoke Alive: Philosophical salon: What makes a life well lived? 6:30 pm. Home of Jennifer Coleman
Brandon Jones’s graduation day. With him are Vann O’Neal, left, and Fire Chief Albert O’Neal. Photo by Tracey Jackson
By Peter Vankevich
Personnel training for a volunteer fire department is vital to ensure the safety of the community as well as for the volunteers to avoid accidents or endangering themselves.
It is the backbone of a successful volunteer fire department because volunteers are often the first and only line of defense for their communities. Firefighters must know how to read smoke, operate equipment, perform rescues, and work as a coordinated team.
Volunteer departments face unique challenges: members have other jobs, different experience levels and limited time together.
Enhancing the company’s skills, one of Ocracoke’s members, Brandon Jones, graduated from the Inner Banks Fire Academy at Beaufort County Community College (BCCC) in December.
He is the second island firefighter to graduate from the academy.
Christian Trejo, who joined the OVFD as a junior volunteer, graduated last year and is now working at a fire department in Washington, Beaufort County. When he is on the island, he continues to serve the OVFD.
Jones was one of 22 students who successfully completed the program, and he received the class leadership award.
“I’ve learned how to help people prevent fires, maintain equipment and protecting structures and dwellings that people may live in,” he said. “I want to bring this knowledge to help the OVFD and teach people.”
In February, Jones was elected be the OVFD captain responsible for training.
The OVFD recently held a class in personal protective equipment, conducted by Adam Glassman, a fire and emergency management instructor at BCCC.
The class included equipment maintenance and a using a self-contained breathing apparatus.
On a roll, Jones is working some shifts at the Banyan Volunteer Fire Department in Washington and has enrolled in the EMT certification class. These days, many firefighters are opting to also be certified as EMTs or paramedics.
While Jones works in commercial fishing, firefighting is his passion.
“I knew I wanted to be a firefighter when I was 10 years old,” he said. He joined his local fire department when he was 15 and has been an OVFD firefighter off and on for the past 10 years.
Micah Bassell and Derek McEntee also completed a 98-hour hazmat training course provided online by the academy.
Instructor Glassman, a retired firefighter from Baltimore, emphasized the importance of having specialized trained personnel like Jones, Bassell and McEntee’s on an island with limited resources.
“When you can get people willing to get certified and have formal training, it’s going to be a huge asset for you,” he said. “They’re able to bring that knowledge, skill and ability back here to provide service to the community and allows them to share that knowledge with their fellow firefighters.”
The Ocracoke Community Pool Association is making lunch for everyone on Sunday in the Community Center.
Actually, it’s a fundraiser and it’s more like a “pop-up restaurant,” said Ruth Toth, president of the association.
In addition to a variety of food and baked goods, the group will conduct three raffles. Raffle sales also will be held on the Variety Store porch today (March 6) from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Lunch offerings will be available Sunday to eat in or take out from noon to 2 p.m. as follows:
Soups $5 (12-ounce cup) steph’s Thai chicken soup Cafe Atlantic tomato alfredo (dairy but no meat) vegetable soup (vegan) Cathy and Lulu’s chicken tortilla soup chili
Sandwiches $5 Joe’s pork barbeque on a bun Cafe Atlantic pimiento cheese (white or wheat bread) egg salad Hummus and veggie wrap chicken tamales
Salads $5 Cafe Atlantic house salad (salad topped with chickpeas, goat cheese and roasted sunflower seeds Antipasto (salad topped with pepperoni, salami, fresh mozzarella, olives) potato salad; Cole slaw
Raffle items include the new book, “Ocracoke Untamed,” a glossy coffee table-type book of island bird life by Karen Rhodes and Matt Janson, an Easter basket, and a quilt. T-shirts will be on sale for $10 each.
The pool association recently purchased 1.4 acres of land off Cutting Sage Road for the island’s first-ever community swimming pool.
The parcel is big enough to house a six-lane, 25-meter pool that will serve residents and visitors alike.
The Ocracoke Community Pool Association is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization dedicated to building and maintaining a public swimming pool that promotes health, safety, and recreation for the island community.
To donate, send checks to OCPA, PO Box 1371, Ocracoke, NC 27960. For information, email ocpa23@yahoo.com.
Screenshot from the NCSBE website of the Hyde results for Incumbent Keith Kidwell and Darren Armstrong.
By Peter Vankevich
Hyde County will have a new representative in the N.C. General Assembly next year as incumbent Keith Kidwell lost the Republican primary on Tuesday to Darren Armstrong, 7,430 votes (52%) to 6,779 (48%).
Kidwell, chair of the N.C. House Freedom Caucus and a four-term incumbent, conceded on his Facebook page: “I called and congratulated Presumptive Representative Elect Armstrong on his victory. Know that I will work with him to bring him up to speed on all projects in process.”
Armstrong, a farmer and business owner from Belhaven in Beaufort County, grew up in Ponzer in Hyde County. In a candidate questionnaire published in the OBX Voice, he emphasized that in the General Assembly he would focus on agricultural and small-business issues.
In Hyde County, Armstrong received 314 votes to 302 votes for Kidwell.
The Hyde County Local Sales and Use Tax Referendum was defeated, 764 to 330. All six mainland precincts voted against the measure; only Ocracoke supported it, 98 to 79 (55%).
In the Republican primary for U.S. House District 1, Laurie Buckhout prevailed in a five-way race:
Hanig, a strong backer of the commercial fishing and shrimp industries, previously served as the district’s state senator before resigning to run for Congress. He carried Dare County with 3,369 votes (50%) and Hyde County with 251 (41%) but lost decisively to Asa Buck in Carteret County.
In November, Buckhout will face unopposed incumbent Democrat Don Davis. Buckhout narrowly lost to Davis in 2024. The General Assembly’s 2024 redistricting made the seat more favorable to Republicans, even though this northeastern district has been held by Democrats since 1883.
Jerry Tillet won the Republican primary for N.C. Senate District 1, which includes Hyde County, with 7,529 votes (38%). He will face unopposed Democrat Melissa Zehner in November.
Not surprisingly, Roy Cooper (Democrat) and Michael Whatley (Republican) easily won the U.S. Senate primaries and will face off in November in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched national races. Cooper received a total of 758,808 votes and Whatley received 404,199.
The major surprise of the primary is Senate President Pro-Tempore Phil Berger is behind Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page by a 2-vote margin: Page 13,077, Berger 13,075. A recount will be most likely.
Judicial Results NC Court Of Appeals Judge Seat 01 – Michael C. Byrne (Republican) 300,883 (51.54%) – Matt Smith (Republican) 282,853 (48.46%)
NC Court Of Appeals Judge Seat 03 – Christine Marie Walczyk (Democrat) 491,188 (62.35%) – James Weldon Whalen (Democrat) 296,590 (37.65%)
NC District Court Judge District 02 Seat 02 – Lloyd Williams (Republican) 6,194 (57.57%) – Shannon A. Jarvis (Republican) 4,565 (42.43%)
Hyde County recorded 1,123 ballots cast out of 3,013 registered voters, a turnout of 37%. Ocracoke has 799 registered voters; 254 of them (32%) voted in early voting and on primary day.
The Hyde County Elections Office is holding only seven provisional ballots for review, said elections director Viola Williams. “That’s about average for county elections,” she noted.
Statewide, North Carolina as of March 4 has 7,708,452 registered voters, and 715,789 ballots were cast in the primary, or 19.64%.
To see details of the results, visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections website.
With just a couple of nationwide March 3 primaries, North Carolina and Texas dominated the night’s news with pundits trying to gain insights on the upcoming Nov. 3 elections.
