RODANTHE, N.C. — Hatteras Island's lifeline reopened to northbound traffic Tuesday afternoon and reestablished critical access for visitors to get home. Before this, visitors were met with lengthy wait times to get on the emergency ferry between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe and the Hatteras ferry to Ocracoke.
News 3 met Adam and Amber Phillips on the emergency ferry from Rodanthe to Stumpy Point on Tuesday.
"44 hours ago, we got in line," said Adam Phillips.
That wait time has been the reality for many over the past few days since the emergency ferry was activated Sunday. Ferry crews have been hard at work getting visitors off Hatteras Island. The moment that happened Tuesday afternoon for the Phillips was special.
"It was just glorious, it was an amazing feeling," said Adam Phillips.
The Phillips, like many, have had to make the most of their situation being stranded there.
"We just rode our bikes around a lot, talked to neighboring cars just to make friends and make the best of the situation," said Amber Phillips.
That's something fellow stranded visitor Stephen Fultz has been doing as well. Fultz has built quite a following on social media with his fishing content, but he put on a different hat this week. Fultz posted every day about the experience of being stranded on Hatteras Island on his social media pages.
"That's how I always try to tackle life, I always look at the positive in every situation. I just figured I'll just go out here and do my due diligence, and also meet the local people, which were very inviting, helping me out, sharing information. I had a lot of fun doing it," said Fultz.
The Phillips echoed that message, seeing firsthand that during an unfortunate situation, people were helping people.
"There were so many people helping people out there, even though it was just terrible for a lot of people waiting. It's what got me through it, is all the help of the people," said Adam Phillips.
So far, NCDOT's Ferry Division says it has transported more than 600 cars and 1,400 people off Hatteras Island through its Stumpy Point and Hatteras routes as of Tuesday morning. Another positive is that as of Tuesday afternoon, N.C. 12 reopened to northbound traffic.
"That road will definitely help alleviate a lot of stress," said Amber Phillips.
An unforgettable experience for many, but also a feeling of gratitude for the many moving parts that have helped them get home.
"They're doing the best that they can. It's been positive, given the circumstances," said Fultz.
NCDOT announced its N.C. 12 reopening was a day earlier than anticipated. State Secretary of Transportation Daniel Johnson was also here on Tuesday. Alongside Dare County leaders, Johnson surveyed the damage on N.C. 12 and visited the Stumpy Point ferry terminal.
NCDOT crews have been hard at work to reopen the highway since 1,000 feet of damage impacted the road near the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Center Visitor Center from the recent coastal storm. What that's looked like is rebuilding the protective dune, removing the damaged asphalt and creating a gravel one-lane temporary detour.
"We took some lessons from disaster response in Helene and translated them out here to the Outer Banks. The division had contracts in place. We think having those contracts in place and being able to get them moving as quickly as possible probably saved us two or three days as far as reopening access," said Johnson.
The gravel surface is the reality for the road right now as crews continue their efforts to reconstruct the two-lane paved road. Right now, it's not clear when that work will be completed and when southbound traffic will be allowed through.
The emergency ferry route between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe will remain open until traffic congestion has slowed on Hatteras Island. It's important that visitors remember they are still only allowed on ferries leaving Hatteras Island.
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