Raleigh, NC —

## What is happening:

Governor Josh Stein has declared a state of emergency in Dare and Hyde counties after back-to-back strong coastal storms chewed up N.C. Highway 12, the Outer Banks' main lifeline. The declaration lets the state coordinate the repair push and backs North Carolina's request for emergency relief money from the Federal Highway Administration.

The first storm hit September 24, pounding the Outer Banks with high winds, heavy rain, ocean overwash, and destructive flooding. NC 12 took significant structural damage between the Marc Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe in Dare County. On Ocracoke Island in Hyde County, overwash tore away the protective dunes and damaged the highway between the ferry terminal and the National Park Service pony pens. Those sections stayed closed from September 24 to September 29, then reopened to northbound traffic only. A second storm has since added to the damage, and the road remains shut between the Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe with no reopening date yet. Emergency ferries started running between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe on Thursday morning.

## Local impacts:

NC 12 is a federal-aid highway, so the state emergency declaration is the trigger that makes North Carolina eligible for federal emergency repair dollars. NCDOT is working with the Federal Highway Administration, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on both the immediate fix and longer-term projects to harden the road. Dare County's mandatory evacuation order for Hatteras Island visitors is still in effect — visitors cannot get onto the island by ferry or any other route. Forecasters warn that extensive beach erosion plus approaching king tides could keep coastal flooding going.

## What to do:

- Visitors: stay off Hatteras Island. The mandatory evacuation order for visitors remains in effect.

- Travelers: use the emergency ferry route between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe; do not try closed sections of NC 12.

- Anyone near the coast: never drive through overwash or flooded roadways, and stay clear of eroded, undermined pavement.

*Source: Office of North Carolina Governor Josh Stein; WCTI New Bern. Reported by TNW News, October 22, 2026.*