“Priority two” permanent Dare County residents and essential personnel for critical businesses may return to areas north of Oregon Inlet today starting at noon, as Dare begins its priority reentry staging.
In a bulletin issued at 9:30 a.m., the Dare County Control Group advised that it has started the reentry process for the northern towns, including Southern Shores, but has continued to keep access to Hatteras Island closed until further notice. The county has established a checkpoint to restrict entry to Hatteras Island.
According to the bulletin, the Control Group “will continue to meet to assess conditions and implement reentry for additional priorities as conditions improve and power is restored.”
See Dare County Emergency Management (DCEM) bulletin at https://www.darenc.com/Home/Components/News/News/5604/1421?backlist=%2fdepartments%2femergency-management.
Priority two permanent residents must present a valid N.C. driver’s license or a government-issued ID card with a local address in an area north of Oregon Inlet in order to gain access. Essential personnel of critical businesses must present a priority two reentry permit with a matching government-issued ID, according to the Control Group’s advisory.
Priority one applies to essential personnel; priority three applies to nonresident property owners and employees at non-critical businesses; and priority four encompasses all visitors, including renters who have booked vacation cottages starting today.
Based on my experience and my observations, I do not envision the Control Group moving into priority four reentry until tomorrow. Priority three reentry could occur later today.
According to the DCEM bulletin, Southern Shores streets have been cleared for access. Town staff will be assessing the storm-generated debris and providing debris-removal information as soon as possible. As for our neighboring towns:
The bulletin advises that, although a town-wide damage assessment has not been completed in Duck yet, the damage there appears to be minor, just some minor siding, roof, and fence damage. N.C. Hwy 12 and all side roads in Duck are passable, despite some standing water and tree debris.
The DCEM bulletin did not provide details about conditions in Kitty Hawk, but notes that traffic signals are inoperable in parts of Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head. Generally speaking, standing water, tree limbs, and debris still remain on some roadways in the towns south of us.
There will be no ocean swimming today because of dangerous surf conditions and strong rip currents.
To obtain detailed information about the staged reentry process and to apply for a permit, which you can print out, visit http://www.darenc.com/reentry.
Ann, 9/7/19
The Southern Shores Beacon 
Any damage reported to homes along Ocean Blvd?? Sounds like, with the exception of some trees down, that Southern Shores fared pretty well. What are your observations, Ann, of NC 12 & the homes along it, in our neck of town? Thank you for all of your wonderful reporting — it is much appreciated! Barbara Jean Tignor
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Dear Barbara: You’re welcome! I was going to post an update, but I’ve been very busy with cleanup efforts in the woods and haven’t had time. I drove along Ocean Boulevard in Southern Shores earlier today and noticed only minimal damage to a relatively few number of houses: the loss of shingles, screens, and sections of old siding, mostly. The oceanside fared very well. I didn’t notice any problems at your house, but I didn’t make a special point of checking. I will, the next time I drive down the beach road. You can breathe easily. Best wishes, Ann
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