Dare County ordered visitors on Hatteras Island to leave by 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, as a Nor'easter Storm approaches. The mandatory evacuation covers visitors in Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras.
The county also declared a state of emergency for Hatteras Island. Dare County Emergency Management said the order was issued before the storm’s impacts reach the island so travel can slow before N.C. Highway 12 becomes a problem.
Dare County order
The evacuation does not apply to Hatteras Island residents, and Dare County did not extend it to areas north of Oregon Inlet. The first high tide of concern is expected at about 1 p.m. Saturday, when conditions are expected to start worsening.
The National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City office said the threat of significant coastal impacts increases beginning Saturday, Oct. 17, and continues into early next week. It forecast 2 to 4 feet of coastal flooding, wind gusts of 45 to 55 mph and large breaking waves of 8 to 12 feet along Hatteras Island beaches.
N.C. Highway 12 access
Dare County Emergency Management expects prolonged coastal flooding and repeated ocean overwash to make N.C. Highway 12 impassable. That route is the main access road for the island, so the practical question for visitors is not whether conditions change, but when the road can still support movement before water and overwash take control.
The county’s timing also stands out. Mandatory evacuations of Hatteras Island have historically been tied to hurricanes and tropical storms, not a Nor'easter Storm, yet Dare County moved before access was lost. That approach follows the late September nor’easter, which damaged N.C. Highway 12 near the Pea Island Visitor Center and cut off direct highway access for several days.
Late September storm
During that storm, NCDOT activated the emergency ferry route between Rodanthe and Stumpy Point, and crews built a temporary roadway detour before two lanes of unrestricted traffic were restored on Oct. 3. The current order tries to avoid a repeat shutdown by getting visitors off the island before the road is forced closed.
Dare County Emergency Management said it will keep monitoring conditions and provide reentry information when conditions allow. For visitors, the immediate step is to leave before the 8 p.m. Friday deadline and avoid waiting for N.C. Highway 12 to fail first.
