OCRACOKE ISLAND, N.C. (WAVY) — Officials from the Ocracoke Deputy Control Group met Wednesday to change their original recommendation to lift a visitor evacuation order on Friday immediately following the reopening of NC 12.
Instead, the group recommended to the board of commissioners that the evacuation order for visitors be lifted on Dec. 2, regardless of any other setbacks.
Due to the damage caused by the weekend’s nor’easter, repair work to NC 12 is expected to take at least an additional two weeks to complete.
The Control Group felt that the idea of having NC 12 repairs completed before allowing re-entry should be taken out of the decision-making process.
Based on the control group’s recommendation, the commissioners voted 4-1, with one commissioner voting against it, to lift the Ocracoke visitor evacuation on Monday, Dec. 2 at 5:00 a.m.
Visitors will be immediately allowed to access the island.
Ferry operations will return to the paid reservation system that’s normally in place.
Officials say reconstruction and debris removal on NC 12 will continue to take place for the foreseeable future.
Normal medical transportation to definitive care remains unavailable due to the delay in the repairs on NC 12.
Officials advise delays and extended transport times until Highway 12 is repaired.
The Hyde County officials say they are diligently working with state and federal partners to get the roads open in a timely manner.
Stay with WAVY.com for updates.
