Visitors may freely enter all areas of Dare County north of Oregon Inlet today starting at 4 p.m., when “Priority Four” stage reentry takes effect, according to a bulletin posted this morning by the Dare County Control Group. Priority Three reentry will begin in Hatteras Island, effective at noon, the Control Group said.
The Control Group advises all visitors to check with their rental-property providers before traveling to ensure that their accommodations are available.
Dangerous surf conditions remain. Beachgoers may check conditions at https://www.weather.gov/beac/mhx, according to the bulletin.
The Town of Southern Shores has not made any announcements about tree-debris removal. The Town customarily picks up limbs, leaves, branches, and other vegetative debris that is left unbagged at the roadside. It will not pick up building materials, shingles, concrete, and the like.
You may expect a regular trash collection tomorrow.
No sooner had I posted my last blog in which I said that the Dare County Control Group had proved me wrong by not ordering Priority Three reentry today than the Group posted a bulletin at 7:45 p.m. announcing that Priority Three reentry was effective immediately for the areas north of Oregon Inlet.
Priority Three applies to nonresident property owners and employees of non-critical businesses. (For more details on Priority Three, please see earlier blogs.)
The Dare County Control Group also announced that Priority Two reentry is effective immediately for areas south of Oregon Inlet, i.e., Hatteras Island.
The Control Group’s next bulletin will be issued no later than tomorrow at 8 a.m.
Hurricane-related damage along Ocean Boulevard in Southern Shores was confined to relatively few structures and was minimal. Damage visible on a driving tour today under clear blue skies of the oceanfront and westside areas between the Kitty Hawk-Southern Shores line and the Ocean Boulevard-Hickory Trail intersection tended to be on rooftops, as pictured above. Shingles blew off roofs, and some screens and sections of siding also took flight in Dorian’s winds, landing in yards and on the roadside.
But such damage was the exception. The Southern Shores beaches and vacation cottages fared very well in the storm.
This window (above) blew out of a westside bedroom in a beach box near the Duck Road split, but it landed intact in the yard. Nearby, a crimp near the top of the AT&T cell tower could be seen:
There were no reports, however, that the damage to the tower’s structural integrity caused any cell-phone service problems.
It was a gorgeous beach day. A beautiful September day with nary a reminder of the hurricane’s battering, bashing, scraping, lashing, hammering, pounding, slamming, smashing, ripping, and rocking. The news media used all of these provocative verbs and more in describing Dorian’s action.
The Dare County Control Group has proved me wrong about reentry. I thought the third priority stage would take effect today, and all visitors would be allowed access to the Dare County towns north of Oregon Inlet tomorrow. It would appear instead that another announcement about reentry staging will not be made until tomorrow morning.
While out and about, I saw no safety hazards in Southern Shores outside of the maritime forests on the soundside and in Chicahauk, and these could be managed by driving cautiously and alertly. Because of fallen trees and tree debris, some of the roads were passable only as single lanes.
Tree-removal and electricity contractors have been working diligently to restore power and clear roads to the wooded neighborhoods. Many residents were out today, clearing their driveways and yards and even the streets in front of their homes.
It was business as usual in the Southern Shores-Kitty Hawk commercial district on U.S. Hwy. 158.
This photograph of a downed tree across Hickory Trail was taken this morning shortly before a tree-removal crew arrived to clear it.
“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.”
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.
Surf’s up on the beach at 11th Avenue, and the road to reach it remains passable, with very little standing water, according to SSCA President Rod McCaughey, who submitted this photo. Nearby houses, he reports, only suffered minor shingle damage.
The mandatory evaluation for Dare County remains in place because of hazardous conditions, and access to Dare County remains restricted, until the DCEM’s Dare County Control Group meets tomorrow morning to review safety assessments and determine reentry procedures.
In a bulletin issued at 4:35 p.m. today, Dare County Emergency Management described existing hazards as including “downed power lines and trees, impassable roadways, and widespread power outages.”
Southern Shores definitely experienced downed trees, impassable roadways, and some power outages, but they appear to have been largely in the woods, according to what readers have reported to The Beacon. Like Rod McCaughey, who photographed the ocean at 11th Avenue, Nancy Lorell of 13th Avenue saw a “very high and angry” ocean when she ventured to the beach this afternoon.
Ms. Lorell described “some ponding” on her street, “but not as bad as Matthew,” which caused widespread flooding on the oceanside three years ago. Thirteenth Avenue also has “some small limbs and leaf debris” on it, “but nothing major,” Ms. Lorell said.
A single lane is passable on East Dogwood Trail near its intersection with Hickory Trail, thanks to quick work by the SSVFD which, according to neighbors, cleared a number of downed trees from the roadway.
Roadways on Hatteras Island are covered with sand and water, DCEM reports, and N.C. DOT is working to assess damage along N.C. Hwy. 12 there.
All of Hatteras Island is without power, just as is Ocracoke Island, which is in Hyde County, not Dare. Water service to Hatteras Village has been turned off due to a leak that cannot be found and repaired because of flooding. Repair crews are standing by.
The Dare County Control Group has established a curfew for Hatteras Island from 8 p.m. through 8 a.m. tomorrow. It applies to all areas south of Oregon Inlet.
The Control Group will determine the timing for the staged reentry process, which, as The Beacon previously described, will occur according to the “priority” status of returning persons.
Essential personnel may return first during stage one. Resident property owners who have the proper identification or a reentry permit may return during the priority two stage; nonresident property owners with proper ID must wait until priority three stage. Priority four applies to the general public and all other visitors. For more information about the reentry process, see https://www.darenc.com/departments/emergency-management/hurricanes/reentry.
If you would like to receive a DCEM alert via text, voice mail, or email, you may sign up at http://www.darenc.com/alerts.
(UPDATE MINUTES AFTER POSTING THIS: A reader reports that the AT&T cell tower at the Duck Road-Ocean Boulevard split was damaged during the storm.)
The SSVFD attends to tree obstructions near the intersection of East Dogwood and Hickory trails.
I heard the sound of a chain saw emanating from East Dogwood Trail, looked outside a window and saw a Southern Shores Volunteer Fire Dept. truck and the blue lights of a police car at the intersection of East Dogwood and Hickory trails, and decided to violate curfew by a few minutes. My neighbor had already started some sort of motorized device and was chopping wood. I could not resist.
No one is cutting through on Hickory Trail this afternoon.
After photographing the East Dogwood-Hickory trails intersection, I walked north to take a photo of this obstruction, which Lynanne St. Laurent reported earlier on The Beacon’s Facebook page:
A downed tree blocks Hickory Trail, going north, before Red Bay Lane.
As of 2 p.m. today, Hurricane Dorian was 125 miles northeast of Cape Hatteras and heading north out to sea at 21 miles per hour, according to The Weather Channel. With sustained winds of 90 mph, it is still a Category 1 hurricane. Our friends in Virginia Beach are now feeling its effects.
The roads in the Southern Shores woods that I have been able to see in person or in photographs sent to me are littered with tree debris. It is foolish to travel them now, but that reality has not stopped a few cowboys in pick-up trucks from venturing out.
Dare County asks residents to report loose and downed power lines to law enforcement (911) or the power company.
I would love to hear from someone on or near the oceanfront who can describe the damage in that area. Please email ssbeaconeditor@gmail.com or post a comment on the Facebook page.
How are folks in Chicahauk doing? In the dunes? Your observations and comments are welcome.
The curfews established yesterday for all areas of Dare County except Kitty Hawk have been extended until 3 p.m. today, except in Nags Head, where the curfew has been lifted, according to a noontime bulletin from the Dare County Emergency Management.
I have been adding updates to previous posts and to The Beacon Facebook page via comments.
Ocracoke was hit hard this morning when the waters of the Pamlico Sound rose 7 feet in two hours, starting around 8 a.m. There is widespread flooding on the island, as well as a power outage. Hatteras island is also without power and experiencing flooding.
I will add to this post when I have further updates about the curfew and damage in Southern Shores.
Hurricane Dorian made landfall at Cape Hatteras at 8:35 a.m. today, according to the National Weather Service. Its winds were estimated at near 90 miles per hour, making it a Category 1 hurricane.
Closer to home, a northeast wind of 26 mph, and gusts of 39 mph, were registered at 9:15 a.m. in Manteo at the Dare County Regional Airport, according to the National Weather Service.
A flash-flood emergency is in effect for the Pamlico Sound in Hyde and Dare counties. (See graphic above.) I just received a report from a reader in Ocracoke that some people there have knee-deep water in their homes.
(Update: People are stranded in Ocracoke, inundated by flood waters and without power. The Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative reports on Twitter that the electricity is out throughout Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Repairs to broken transmission poles will not occur until the area is deemed safe for workers to enter.)
Dorian is continuing to move northeastward, but its speed has increased to 14 mph.
Dare County Emergency Management advises all residents to “stay indoors, shelter in place” throughout today, as the storm’s strong winds and heavy rains affect our area.
In a bulletin issued this morning at 7:45, DCEM also warns that water levels on the sounds are dropping, as “water is pushed away by the wind,” but when the winds shift, “the sound water will rapidly return, bringing extreme soundside flooding.”
Those of us who live on or near the Currituck Sound have witnessed this phenomenon before. DCEM advises that you may access flood gauges online to view water levels in real-time at fiman.nc.gov.
Contact information for reporting power outages and viewing power outage maps, etc., is available at darenc.com/hurricanedorian.
For updated weather forecasts, watches, and warnings from the National Weather Service, see http://www.weather.gov/mhx.
Please feel free to comment here on the conditions in your area. If you would like to send a photograph, please email it to ssbeaconeditor@gmail.com.
Stay safe!
(A reminder: The curfew is still in effect until noon and may be extended.)
A doe and her piebald fawn graze in a yard on East Dogwood Trail this evening. Although piebald deer are rare, they are more common than albino deer, which lack all body pigmentation and have pink eyes, noses, and hooves.
Curfews are in effect in all areas of Dare County, except for the Town of Kitty Hawk, starting at 8 p.m. today and continuing through noon tomorrow, according to the most recent bulletin from Dare County Emergency Management. There also will be no access into Dare County starting at 8 p.m.
As of 6 p.m., the eye of Hurricane Dorian was located 45 miles south of Myrtle Beach, S.C., The Weather Channel (TWC) reported.
The category 2 hurricane, which has had winds ranging from 105 mph to 115 mph today, according to TWC’s Mike Bettes, is moving 8 mph north-northeast. In describing Dorian’s projected track, Mr. Bettes said the hurricane will “skirt” the South Carolina and North Carolina coastlines until it reaches Cape Hatteras, where it will “pull away” and move out to sea.
The Weather Channel is forecasting a storm surge of 4 to 7 feet and rain amounting to 4 to 6 inches for the northern Outer Banks.
Rain has just become heavy in Southern Shores–at 6:35 p.m.–after periods of light rain alternated with bursts of sunshine throughout the afternoon, starting around 2 p.m.
(By 7 p.m., the rain had slacked off.)
I drove down the 158 Bypass around 5:30-6 p.m. and found only one restaurant open in Kitty Hawk: Shipwrecks, which is just south of Wings and across the street from the Mobil station, where the pumps were still operating. Barefoot Bernie’s, long a holdout during storms, was closed.
Quite a few Dominion Power and Spectrum trucks were parked at the Hilton Garden Inn, which was open for business.
The wind was blustery, but not strong, on the beach at the nearby Kitty Hawk Pier. The ocean, which was at low tide, had moderate-size waves–nothing that remarkable (yet).
TWC’s Mr. Bettes said we will be through with Dorian, and it with us, by midday tomorrow.
I am going to take my sighting of the piebald fawn, which I saw with his/her mother and more skittish sibling on my return to the Southern Shores woods, as a harbinger of good tidings. Have a peaceful night, everyone.
UPDATE FROM DARE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AT 7 P.M.:
The Southern Shores Beacon 