If Going to the Beach is Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Go to the Beach

NPS staff on Ocracoke have contingency plans in place and are getting ready for the very real possibility that they will close the Seashore Tuesday morning. 

"The beaches will be closed to public access," said Cyndy Holda, public information officer for the seashore. "That includes pedestrians as well as ORVs."

The ORV ramps and beach access parking lots will be gated, cabled or barricaded as needed, and the Visitor Center and ORV permitting office will also be closed. Parking alongside Hwy. 12 to walk across the dunes to enjoy some sun and surf will be prohibited. 

NPS will notify campers tomorrow that they'll have 48 hours to vacate the campgrounds. 

"We'll have skeletal staff," Holda said. "The only employees at work will be those on the incident management team." 

Tomorrow morning, the NPS staff will come to work, "tie up loose ends," and get on with the business of closing the Seashore.

Holda will send out a Google Earth map of the Seashore showing the closures, and then her office will shut down. All NPS websites will automatically redirect to the Department of the Interior website, which will post a message about the shutdown.

The last government shutdown in 1995-96 lasted 28 days. Let's hope that this one won't be as devastating.

If you're a law-abiding citizen and want to stay that way, contact your elected representatives TONIGHT and ask them to work out a solution. Ocracoke, and America, need your help!