Power restored, tourists return to Outer Banks
RALEIGH, N.C. — Carloads of tourists rolled in, stores stocked seafood counters and kitchen workers chopped vegetables Friday as two North Carolina islands reopened to visitors after a weeklong power failure at the height of vacation season.
A line of cars was waiting to drive onto Hatteras Island at noon when vacationers were allowed to return, said Dare County spokeswoman Dorothy Hester. It was a welcome sign that things were returning to normal on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands a week after a construction accident cut power, threatening seasonal businesses’ bottom lines.
Word that power was fully restored Thursday set businesses racing to get ready for a wave of tourists arriving this weekend.
“I went fishing this morning and caught some and cut it and put in the bar anticipating customers coming in,” said Nicholas Wolosuk, owner of Buxton Seafood on Hatteras Island.
He said he also made a special drive off Hatteras Island to a seafood supplier to get fully stocked. He said Friday and Saturday are crucial days when arriving visitors buy food for the week. While he missed a prime week of business, he’s glad the blackout didn’t last longer. “It’s a relief,” he said.
Power was cut to the two islands July 27 when workers building a new bridge drove a steel casing into underground transmission lines. An estimated 50,000 tourists were ordered to leave during a makeor-break period for seasonal businesses, many of which close during the cold-weather months. It was initially feared that repairs could take weeks.
Dare County officials estimate that Hatteras Island businesses easily lost $2 million overall for each day of the power failure, Hester said. She said the rough estimate is based on last year’s tourism figures and could change.
Donnie Shumate, spokesman for Hyde County, which contains Ocracoke Island, said the county attorney will be leading negotiations to recoup business losses from the construction company that caused the accident, PCL Construction.