Help Is On The Way

The N.C. Department of Transportation Ferry Division today loaded two 90,000-pound electrical generators bound for Ocracoke Island aboard the Motor Vessel Sea Level. The Tideland Electrical Membership Corporation is hoping to use the generators to restore temporary power to much of the island by this evening.

The Ferry Division has also scheduled regular fuel deliveries for the generators on the daily 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. ferry departures out of Swan Quarter. Passengers and vehicles will also be allowed on those ferries, but space will be limited.

Meanwhile, the Ferry Division continues to assist in the mandatory evacuation of visitors from Ocracoke Island as ordered by Hyde County. As of early Friday afternoon, North Carolina Ferries had evacuated 2,386 people and 893 vehicles since the evacuation order was issued Thursday evening.

While the evacuation remains in place, priority loading at Hatteras and tolls at Swan Quarter and Cedar Island are waived. In accordance with the evacuation order, only residents, property owners, emergency workers, vendors and critical infrastructure providers with Ocracoke re-entry documentation will be allowed on Ocracoke-bound ferries. Law enforcement officers are on hand at Hatteras, Swan Quarter, and Cedar Island to enforce the re-entry requirements.