Thank you to everyone who has reached out to us or checked in with your friends, family, and favorite places here in the Outer Banks as we begin to recover from Hurricane Dorian. It has been amazing to see the outpouring of support for our community!
Park staff deliver supplies to residents on Ocracoke Island.
As of yesterday, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial are both open. In addition, beginning at noon today many areas and facilities north of Buxton in Cape Hatteras National Seashore will reopen. You can follow the park’s Facebook page for the most up to date opening information.
Your park staff continues to support the communities of Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands in many ways as they assess the damages from the storm. The photo above shows your parks’ staff delivering much needed supplies to residents of Ocracoke Island.
Your OBX National Parks’ Superintendent, Dave Hallac, shared an initial update and assessment here of the damage and recovery efforts. We are incredibly grateful for Superintendent Hallac’s leadership and our park staff’s dedication to helping our community.
Here are a few highlights from the official update:
- Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial have trees down and shingles missing from some structures, but the parks generally escaped with only minor impacts.
- Hatteras and Ocracoke islands appear to have experienced up to 7 feet of water above the ground in many residential and park areas.
- Hatteras Island:
- Dunes are generally intact.
- Many homes and businesses between Buxton and Hatteras Village were flooded and the high water marks showed several feet of water in some structures.
- Cape Hatteras Electrical Cooperative and NC Department of Transportation have worked tirelessly to restore power and accessibility.
- Ocracoke Island:
- While all park staff are safe, in many cases everything most Ocracoke residents own was flooded by several feet of water from Pamlico Sound.
- Highway 12 on Ocracoke near Southdock (Hatteras Ferry terminal) is badly damaged along two 500 foot sections, rendering the road unusable.
- Currently the only access to the island is via the Swan Quarter ferry.
- Your parks’ Ocracoke ponies are safe and accounted for.
If you would like to support the OBX residents affected by Hurricane Dorian, please consider a donation to the Outer Banks Community Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund. As we work with park staff in the coming weeks we will also keep you updated on ways you can help your OBX national parks.
Superintendent Hallac stands on damaged section of NC-12 on Ocracoke.