Some Restrictions Apply
The Hyde County commissioners agreed today that the mandatory evacuation will be lifted as on 5am on Saturday. However, and this is a big however, visitors are not welcome to return just yet.
Hurricane Joaquin is now forecast to pass far enough offshore that Ocracoke won't be inundated with hurricane-force or even tropical storm-force winds. That's the good news.
The bad news is that we have had and are having and expect to have more incredible amounts of rain. The roads in the village are flooded, the tide is very high in the harbor, and there's 2.5 feet of standing water on Highway 12. We didn't really need a hurricane to shut us down – this front has been bad enough.
Ocracoke could still get another 2-4" of rain from this front, plus another 1-3" from the offshoots of Joaquin. We'll have winds gusts to minimal gale force strength, through Monday. We could get some tide. It ain't over 'til it's over.
As of Saturday, the mandatory evacuation is officially lifted, but only the following people can board the boats: residents, off-island property owners, vendors, emergency personnel, and utility workers. These re-entry restrictions will last until further notice, and there will be law enforcement personnel on hand to check potential stowaways. Have your driver's license, re-entry permit, or proof of residency handy.
The ferries will run their regular schedule, weather permitting.
As of this writing, the Hatteras-Ocracoke route has stopped running because Hwy. 12 north of the Pony Pens is under 2.5 feet of water. The Ocracoke-Cedar Island runs were cancelled earlier today because of flooding on the Cedar Island side.
Over 1500 people left the island between 3pm yesterday (when the mandatory evacuation was imposed) and this afternoon.
Lifting the mandatory evacuation order allowed the state to close the emergency shelter in Rocky Mount at 5pm today (not one evacuee had shown up). Those state resources are now available to go where they're actually needed – possibly farther west where historic rainfall and flooding is predicted. Because the law states that there has to be a shelter open to receive evacuees if there's a mandatory evacuation, the evacuation of Ocracoke had to be lifted in order for the shelter to close. It may not make sense to everyone (there's lots of chatter about it on the social media), but it is what it is.
Because Hyde County did not lift the State of Emergency, they still maintain control over who can arrive by ferry, hence the restricted entry.
The Ocracoke control group will continue to meet to assess the situation and decide when to allow visitors to return, and we will tell you all about it on the Current!
