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CLICK HERE
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Village's Voice
, the Village of BHI's email newsletter for BHI property owners.
From the Village's Public Information Officer-
Hurricane Dorian #12
9/5/2019
6:00 p.m.
Dear Residents, Property Owners and Friends:
Bald Head Island is currently under a tornado watch, flash flood watch, hurricane warning, and storm surge warning. The Village continues to be cautious in monitoring the potential storm surge relative to the high tide cycle. Depending on the timing of the storm's arrival, storm surge could be more significant with wave runup, erosion, and damage to the island's frontal dunes, in some areas possibly becoming breached by the ocean.
Some key information from the 5:00 p.m. NWS advisory:
- Dorian is moving toward the northeast near 10 mph and this general motion is expected to continue with an increase in forward speed through Saturday.
- On the forecast track, the center of Dorian will continue to move close the coast of Eastern South Carolina for the next several hours, then move near the coast of North Carolina tonight into Friday (a closer look at the track via Hurrevac shows the center of the storm closest to Bald Head Island between 10 and 12 p.m.).
- Tropical storm conditions are spreading along the coast of North Carolina, and hurricane conditions are expected to begin during the next few hours.
- Tornadoes are possible through early Friday across eastern North Carolina into southeast Virginia.
Stormwater Inspection
The Village Manager and Assistant Manager recently made a pass to inspect storm water infrastructure and water levels before conditions and visibility worsened. Video and photos were posted on Instagram. (www.instagram.com/villagebhi).
Mandatory Evacuation
The Village remains under a State of Emergency (SOE) and a Mandatory Evacuation. To clarify, there are no curfew times set because there is a mandatory evacuation order. Those who remain on the island should be sheltering in place for the duration of the mandatory evacuation and are subject to receive citations and fines if they are located outside of their own property. Sheltering in place will be critical as conditions worsen tonight. Please do not put yourself in or Village Public Safety Officers in harm's way.
The Village strongly urges those who stayed on the island to continue to shelter in place even after the storm passes so that Village officials can travel the island freely and remove any present hazards. Your presence outside of your property can endanger you, place an extra burden on Public Safety Officers, and could greatly impact by delaying the Village's ability to move forward with the re-entry process. Please wait until officials rescind the Village's State of Emergency and mandatory evacuation orders (the Village does not have to wait for the Governor). You can still be cited and fined if you are found away from your property. As soon as an assessment is made and SOE and mandatory evacuation orders are rescinded this information will be distributed via the Village's Voice and Code Red.
Re-Entry
Property Owners (with structures on your property): Property owners must register with the Village
HERE.
Village officials have been in regular contact with Bald Head Island Transportation, Inc. regarding plans for resuming ferry operations. Please note that the decision to allow the ferries to run again is not up to the Village or Bald Head Island Transportation, Inc., the decision is made by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Home Inspections
The home inspection program has been discontinued. It was recommended by the Hurricane Florence Task Force, and approved by Village Council, as the number of properties is now too excessive. There were considerably fewer homes when it was utilized for past events. The Village will not be able to accommodate these requests for Hurricane Dorian damage. The Village, via the Damage Assessment Team, will perform windshield surveys that are needed to determine approximate damage costs to provide to Brunswick County, North Carolina Emergency Management, and FEMA.
Duke Energy Update
From Duke Energy:
"After the storm has passed, crews first must assess the extent of damage - which can sometimes take 24 hours or more - to determine which crews, equipment and supplies are needed before repairs can begin. Crews will also work to restore power while damage assessment occurs as conditions allows. This will not only involve ground crews, but aerial surveillance helicopters and drones in hardest-hit areas. Here are aerial images you are welcome to share of our staging area at Walnut Creek in Raleigh. About 1,500 crews are here ready to tackle Hurricane Dorian. Crews will be dispatched to the hardest hit areas once it is safe to do so."
Citizen's Phone Bank
The Village continues to recommend that citizens use the Citizen Phone Bank (910) 454-4226 for all non-emergency questions. This is not a method to request house checks, sign-up for re-entry, or be added to the business list. This is also not a number to leave your status for families to call in and check on you if you stayed on the island. The Village will continue to answer as many questions as possible via the Village's Voice messages.
Ferry & Marina Information
The Deep Point Marina and Bald Head Island Marina remain closed by order of the Coast Guard. For the most up-to-date ferry schedule information you can visit their website HERE.
Special Needs Individuals: If you require special needs for medical conditions that may be affect you during this event, please contact me (
cfaulkner@villagebhi.org) or
(910) 454-4226 during the event. Please call 911 if there is an emergency.
The Village will continue to inform you on the progress of this storm until its impacts no longer affect Bald Head Island. Follow the Village on
Instagram
(
villagebhi
) to see photos and video of EOC activities and island conditions throughout the storm. You do not have to have an Instagram account to see the Village's posts. You can type instagram.com/villagebhi in your browser and access all posts. We will post as much as we can as long as it is safe to do so.
Thank you,
Carin Z. Faulkner
Village Public Information Officer
(910) 457-9700 ext. 1025
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BHA Office Hours This Week
Bald Head Association is closed today (Thursday, Sept. 5th) though staff will be monitoring emails as long as power is intact. Friday's hours will be dependent on the ferry services resuming and conditions on the Island.
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