Re-entry woes

Via Cousin Colby

They told us that Hurricane Irene would be the storm of a lifetime. And they were right – at least in the sense that it seemed to last a lifetime.

Just last Friday, I was posting a blog on “Why we stay in the face of a major hurricane.” Many of us did stay and the storm, which started with the outer bands of wind and rain on Friday afternoon, never ended until after midnight on Sunday morning.

Those two days of punishing hurricane force winds, heavy rain, and a storm surge from the Pamlico Sound seem now much longer than just six days ago.

Those of us who stayed have had to cope this week for days without power in the sweltering heat, no cell phones, no land lines for some, no cable, and no Internet.

Those who stayed in Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo and some in Avon have been overwhelmed by the epic and crippling soundside storm surge that has brought destruction and damage to homes and belongings, vehicles, and the infrastructure.

And a major inlet and several smaller ones have been cut in northern Rodanthe and on Pea Island, cutting off Hatteras, which is now accessible only by ferry.

First, all were focused on repairing our damaged island.

But soon, the issue of re-entry was front and center.

I have lived in Frisco for 20 years, and after every hurricane evacuation, re-entry has been an issue – with residents, non-resident property owners, or visitors. Sometimes it’s an issue with all three.

This time around, much of the re-entry angst and anger has come from residents who evacuated Hatteras Island before Irene. Most of them left last Thursday or Friday, and are still not back after a week. And they have several more days to wait as Dare County begins the process of letting residents back onto Hatteras. (Ocracoke began letting residents back just a few days after the storm.)

The staggered re-entry by village will probably take up to another week.

After residents are back, maybe at the end of next week, non-resident property owners will be allowed on the island.

And, last to be allowed to enter will be visitors.

Dare County announced today that Hatteras will remain closed to visitors until sometime after Sept. 17. Gov. Bev Perdue today announced plans for a temporary fix to Highway 12 on Pea Island, which has been severed by one large inlet and several smaller ones. She said the highway could open within a month. Some who have been briefed on the plans think it could be as short a time as two weeks before the island re-opens. That seems optimistic, but you never know.

Dare County’s Control Group decided early on to keep Hatteras closed to all but the residents who are now here, and for good reason.

However, people, including non-resident property owners, have flown or chartered planes to skirt that order by flying into the airfields on the islands or hiring boats to bring them back.

The county has now clamped down on anyone trying to get around the rules.

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