OUTER BANKS, N.C. — Coastal storms are always a concern on the Outer Banks, especially on Hatteras Island.
A mandatory evacuation was issued for Hatteras Island visitors Friday night as this coastal storm made its way to our coast. The evacuation remained in effect Monday.
On a positive note, N.C. 12 has remained open and passable since the storm's impacts began Saturday.
"We've been fortunate, I'll say that," said Jamie Kritzer, who works in the communications office for the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
But Kritzer and NCDOT remain concerned as the coastal storm is expected to linger through most of the week, with potentially a few long days ahead.
"It could very much get worse before it gets better," said Kritzer.
That concern extends to Hatteras Island as a whole. With ferry routes suspended because of high winds, a closure of N.C. 12 could cut off access to the island.
"Given the fact that we're looking at probably more significant high tides over the next several days, plus these winds that don't seem to be letting up, that's certainly a concern when a lot of what you're able to do travel-wise is determined by forces that are outside your control," said Kritzer.
One of the most vulnerable stretches of N.C. 12 remains near the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. The last nor'easter in late September caused damage to 1,000 feet of the road there, which had to be completely rebuilt.
The strength of the storm was on display along this specific stretch during Monday afternoon's high-tide cycle. Even with the reinforced dune there, some ocean overwash was making its way over the dune and onto the road. Crews were actively placing more sand on top of the dune, work that is paramount to maintaining N.C. 12 access for the rest of the week.
"We are doing everything we need to do to to keep Highway 12 protected, to keep the sand in the dunes, not on the road. It's been an around the clock effort, and that effort continues," said Kritzer.
Hatteras Island's mandatory visitor evacuation remained in effect Monday, meaning visitors were not allowed to travel onto the island. This weekend, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore also warned about potential oceanfront structure collapses in Rodanthe this week.
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