They decided not to wait until after their 1pm Control Group meeting after all. Hyde County Public Information sent out a press release at 12:34pm announcing that the evacuation already began at noon:

Press Release #2: Hurricane Florence Mandatory Evacuation of Ocracoke Island

Effective at 12:00 pm Monday, September 10, 2018, the Hyde County Board of Commissioners have declared a state of emergency for all of Hyde County and a mandatory visitor evacuation of Ocracoke Island due to the potential impact of hurricane Florence.

Hurricane Florence is projected to be a major hurricane with landfall somewhere in the southeastern NC area. All of Hyde County is currently in the cone of uncertainty and current projections show the possibility of tropical storm force winds arriving as early as Wednesday evening.

During a state of emergency, all NC DOT ferry reservations are canceled and tolls are waived. Boarding the ferries will be on a first come first serve basis. Due to the possible flooding and wash over on Hwy 12, impacts may occur well in advance of the storm, we recommend starting your evacuation as soon as possible and utilizing the sound route ferries when evacuating. Decisive action is necessary for Ocracoke visitors to insure you arrive at your destination safely.

The Hyde County Emergency Services Department will continue to monitor the forecast and issue advisories as appropriate. Also, the Ocracoke Deputy Control Group will continue meeting to receive daily weather briefings and discuss emergency protective measures. Citizens should monitor their local weather outlets, the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices, and the National Hurricane Center for the most timely information.

To see Hyde County’s Hurricane and Flood Procedures and Preparation Information, visit our website at

http://hydecountync.gov/hurricane_and_flood_info/index.php