After reopening at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, N.C. Highway 12 remains open to traffic on Hatteras Island as of Thursday morning, but the highway is still closed on northern Ocracoke Island as North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) work to clear the road of saltwater and sand.
Conditions are expected to remain unsettled through Thursday, as another round of gusty winds and rough surf persist. Swell from distant Hurricane Melissa will arrive later tonight into Friday, likely prolonging hazardous beach conditions into the weekend.
NCDOT crews worked throughout Wednesday to remove sand and saltwater from the roadway and rebuild protective berms on Pea Island, and Wednesday’s high tides were less severe than Tuesday’s.
Minor overwash continued in northern Buxton, but levels did not reach Tuesday’s threshold, when the highway was closed for several hours between the motels and Old Lighthouse Road.
No additional home collapses occurred overnight or Thursday morning, following the collapse of five oceanfront structures in Buxton on Tuesday. Large amounts of debris remain in the surf and along the shoreline from Old Lighthouse Road down to Cape Point, and beach access from the north end of Buxton to near ORV Ramp 43 is closed. The public is strongly urged to avoid the beach and water in this area due to hazardous debris.
According to a Wednesday update from the National Park Service, Cape Hatteras National Seashore staff are in the process of contacting property owners to coordinate cleanup efforts along the shoreline.
A limited number of Seashore personnel are moving larger debris above the high tide line, and officials plan to reassess conditions and develop a more detailed cleanup plan later this week.
Dare County Public Works says residential trash collection for Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras villages resumes Thursday; however, some areas — particularly in Buxton — may be inaccessible due to storm debris and erosion. Commercial trash collection is currently planned to resume Friday, pending conditions.
For local weather advisories and updates, visit weather.gov/mhx.
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