Hurricane Irene's Effect on Carolinas & New England

[Foy]

Hyde County has announced Ocracoke Island is open to visitors arriving from the Swan Quarter or Cedar Island ferries. Access to Hatteras Island from Ocracoke still not available.

Foy

[glc]

Found the article.

It's not quite open yet - it will be at 5pm today. Highway 12 has been cleared to the Hatteras ferry dock, but they will not resume the ferry service until Dare County reopens Hatteras Island. The only access to Hatteras till then will be the Stumpy Point ferries, which are not open to tourists.

[Foy]

There will be non-property owner traffic (travelers/tourists) allowed to parts of Hatteras Island beginning Friday, 16 September 2011. Access from Hatteras Village to Avon only will be allowed (ie not up to Waves-Salvo-Rodanthe). Access only from Ocracoke Island. As such, access will require either the Cedar Island-Ocracoke or Swan Quarter-Ocracoke ferry (reservations virtually mandatory) followed by the 18 mile drive up Ocracoke to the Ocracoke-Hatteras ferry (runs frequently, reservations not required). Access starts from Cedar Island or Swan Quarter with the first long ferry ride of the day, the 7am run. Crossing time runs 2.25-2.5 hours to Ocracoke, a half-hour to get off the ferry and up to the Hatteras ferry, 45 minutes to cross it, and as much as another 30-40 minutes if you want to go all the way through Buxton (Cape Hatteras light) to Avon.

No mention was made about tourists using the emergency ferry landing and route from Stumpy Point to Rodanthe.

Foy

[glc]

No mention was made about tourists using the emergency ferry landing and route from Stumpy Point to Rodanthe.

I doubt that this will ever happen - I read that when they opened the Stumpy Point ferries to non-resident property owners the other day, the line was 15 miles long.

Looks like they will have the temporary bridge completed and the other breaches filled in sometime in October.

I also saw that for Ocracoke residents, the tolls on the Cedar Island/Swan Quarter ferries have been suspended.

[glc]

... as to how Portsmouth fared?

Lifey

News release from the NPS

Date: September 22, 2011
Contact: Wouter Ketel, 252-728-2250 ext. 3005



Harkers Island, NC - The National Park Service is pleased to announce the following progress with Hurricane Irene recovery:

Portsmouth Village on North Core Banks will reopen to visitors beginning Wednesday, September 21, 2011.
Cape Village on South Core Banks is open.
All of the seashore (Shackleford, North and South Core Banks) has been opened for pedestrian overnight use since Friday, September 16, 2011.
South Core Banks will reopen for vehicle use beginning on Friday, September 23,2011.
Cabins at Great Island Camp on South Core Banks will reopen for overnight lodging beginning on Saturday, October 1, 2011.The park will honor previous reservations starting October 1.

The following areas remain closed:
Long Point Cabin Camp
North Core Banks remains closed to all vehicle use

On North Core Banks, the priority is to re-establish the Long Point ferry landing, and visitor vehicle access to the beaches.This will allow public access while repairs to the cabins continue. To date, we have been able to complete our damage assessment, remove debris, get the generators operational and order supplies and materials for repairs. As work in other areas of the Seashore is completed additional work will begin at Long Point.

[glc]

Highway 12 will be reopened sometime today after 4pm. The temporary bridge is ready.