FINAL POST HURRICANE ARTHUR ADVISORY:

Hyde County officials are happy to announce Ocracoke Island will be open to unrestricted access, barring any unforeseen issues, beginning Sunday, July 6, 2014 at 7:00 a.m. On Sunday, the first unrestricted ferry from Cedar Island departs at 7:00 a.m., from Swan Quarter at 7:00 a.m., and from Hatteras at 7:35 a.m. For the complete ferry schedule go to NCDOT.gov/ferry.

Tideland EMC successfully restored power to all of Ocracoke Island this evening after Hurricane Arthur damaged 45 utility poles and left thousands without power. Hyde County officials and the Ocracoke community are extremely grateful for the hard work of all Tideland’s employees over the past several days.

With full restoration of power, Ocracoke is no longer under a state of emergency. Tolls are back in place for ferry departures from Ocracoke to Cedar Island and Swan Quarter. The temporary curfew for Ocracoke is now expired.

The National Park Service campground on Ocracoke is currently still closed, but please look for updates from the NPS regarding the campground’s reopening.

Storm Debris on Ocracoke:

Chipping will begin Monday morning and continue until no longer needed. Mobile chipping services will begin on Hwy 12 near Howard’s Pub and move south through the village. Anything smaller than 6 inches in diameter can be chipped on site. All debris must be accessible close to the driveway. Anything larger than 6 inches in diameter cannot be chipped and will need to be disposed of at the solid waste site.