Finally Someone Got Their Brain in Gear (2024)

For Immediate Release:
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Contact:
Dare County Emergency Management
(252) 475-5655

Weekday Priority for Hatteras Residents on Emergency Ferries Begins Monday

Beginning Monday, November 5, 2012, priority boarding will be given to Hatteras Island residents traveling weekdays on the Emergency Ferry Service between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe.

Priority boarding for residents will be done Monday through Friday and requires a driver’s license with a Hatteras Island address. The weekday priority will be given to residents boarding on either side of the emergency ferry route behind vehicles with essential commodities, recovery supplies, and those with medical priorities, as determined by Dare County Emergency Management and NCDOT.

Why would anyone want to be a visitor to Hatteras Isl. during this mess? Don't the locals have enough problems cleaning up their mess without having to deal with tourists? As far as the ferrys go, I think the emergency vehicles should get priority before tourists...also residents. Tourists should just "go home" until this is all over.

I know....everyone hates me now.

If you have a rental reservation, then travel insurance is not going to help you if you miss this week. The island is not closed or restricted in any way to visitors, and there was no mandatory evacuation, so the standard travel insurance will not apply. It would be quite rational for visitors to want to get there!

And, besides, it is still a pretty place to be, the roads up and down HI are clear enough for travel once you get there, electricity and water never failed in any big way, so facilities are open. If I had reservationns in this case, I would want to be there and make use of the vacatoin I paid for and long planned. However, I hope I would have sense to just read a book, walk on the beach, and make myself scarce from the hub-bub of road repairs, and not be expecting to go north to Nags Head for a meal or shopping! In a way, that's a REAL vacation: stuck on an island and making the best of it.

Keep in mind that since no evacuation was ordered, so some visitors stayed, and I bet all of them had to stay over most of an extra week 'til the emergency ferries were up and running. (Remember the complaints in the last week of visitors getting in the way of clean-up?) You gotta give them a reasonble shot get home after all of this, IMO.

Keep in mind Ocraco*ke residents have priority on Ocraco*ke ferries 24/7/365, storm or not. So does it make sense that Hatteras Island residents should not get at least similar priority when ferries are the only access.

And note the resident priority is only Mon-Fri so has little affect on visitors.

BTW I'm not a resident.

Keep in mind also that going via the reservation Swan Qtr ferry to Ocraco*ke may add only about 3 hrs to a trip to Hatteras ( a slightly longer drive and Ocraco*ke to Hatteras ferry). That add assumes you get right on the Stumpy Pt ferry. You are likely to wait in line at Stumpy Pt / Rodanthe much longer than 3 hrs on a Sat / Sun.

And OBTW when the wind blows a little stiff (say 30 to 35 mph) out of the East, particularly NE, it can blow the water out of the Rodanthe channel and the ferry can't run. It happened at least once after Irene and lasted 12-14 hrs, can't remember exact time, but I had to go off HI via Swan Qtr. I did not have a reservation but lucked out and got on with no wait.

I suggest anyone with a prepaid Sat/Sun rental on HI seriously consider Swan Qtr ( or Cedar Island depending on where you come from) until NC 12 is reopened.

The Stumpy Pt /Rodanthe , Swan Qtr / Ocraco*ke and Cedar Island / Ocraco*ke routes are all about the same crossing time.

Ok I am going to sound like a jerk here and I do not mean it...I know warm fuzzy....
Atlantic Hurricane Season is, what was stated
June 1 - November 30
Seems that Nor'Easters start anywhere from October through What April?
Then Spring brings severe thunderstorms/tornados

So basically there is no safe time to visit the outer banks. No matter when you visit you are at risk of severe weather just as you are where ever you live.
The main difference here is there is only one road on and one road off.

I the midwest where I live we have severe weather...Blizzards, tornados, (our version of nor'easters) usually kicks us with a ton of snow! Hail, Lightning, drought, floods...on and on. we have roads wash out, bridges collapse, millions and millions go to repairs and snow removal each and every year. No one tells anyone not to live here or visit here because of "What could happen". You just accept it as that is just the way it is and go on with life.

Again I am not trying to stir the pot, just saying my 2 cents, which right now is not worth that.

The basics is that with the one road on and off, this needs to be the upmost priority for the well being and safety of those who live and visit the outer banks Above and below the bonner and on and off Ronaoke Island. There is only limited access anywhere in the outer banks when you get right down to it. If something would happen to any of the bridges anywhere it would be a nighmare!!!

So even though it seems to be looked upon as a below the bonner issue it is a true outer banks issue...something to think about...

And as for hurricane season...NorEaster season, Spring Severe storm season....Pick one any one take your chance...you never know you just might have the most fantastic time you ever had!!!!