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U.S. NEWS Saturday 29 July 2017

Vacation blackout: Power outage hits North Carolina islands

for another day or so. tions back to normal.” people even realize.”
North Carolina Gov. Roy The islands, which have Wells said his restaurant,
Cooper declared a state of about 5,000 permanent closed by the outage, is
emergency as generators residents, rely heavily on missing out on between
were sent to the islands for the summer tourist season $5,000 and $6,000 a day in
the residents who stayed for their local economies. sales. His 25 workers typical-
behind. Officials urged “In a seasonal commu- ly make between $75 and
people to use power only nity like Ocracoke, there’s $250 a day.
for fans and refrigerators. three to five months out of While Howard’s Pub near-
“The situation is stabilizing the year when most busi- by was serving a full menu
today thanks to the use of nesses are closed,” said Ja- on generator power, own-
additional portable gener- son Wells, owner of Jason’s er Ann Warner said business
ators,” Cooper said. “Public Restaurant on Ocracoke had plummeted as tourists
safety services have power Island. streamed off the island. Her
Vacationers head north on NC 12 on Hatteras Island, N.C., on as do water and sewer. I “So when you take this hit restaurant would usually be
Friday, July 28, 2017. An estimated 10,000 tourists face a noon ask residents and visitors in July and factor in that packed for Friday lunch.
deadline Friday for evacuating the island on North Carolina’s to be patient as everyone you’re only open eight “This is a man-made disas-
Outer Banks after a construction company caused a power works towards restoring the months out of the year, ter, and, yes, people are
outage, leaving people searching for a place to eat, stay cool power and getting condi- it’s big. It’s a lot more than very upset,” she said.q
or to resume interrupted vacations.
(Steve Earley/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)
By TOM FOREMAN Jr. from Mother Nature on
JONATHAN DREW Ocracoke, but not from
Associated Press human error,” said Kivi Ler-
A man-made power out- oux Miller, who awoke in a
age — not an approach- hot rental house Thursday
ing hurricane — forced morning.
10,000 tourists to flee two The Lexington, North Caro-
North Carolina islands and lina, resident had to cut
turned summer vacation short her yearly vacation
into a messy nightmare for with her husband and two
many. children, and they were
Cars lined up Friday to get among the last cars on a
on ferries, the only way off packed ferry Friday morn-
Ocracoke Island, after a ing.
mandatory evacuation or- “There was definitely this
der was announced. Gas sort of sadness with every-
stations ran perilously low one having to leave,” she
on fuel and ice, and busi- said.
ness owners complained Ocracoke and Hatteras
about losing a chunk of Islands went dark on Thurs-
their most lucrative time of day when a construction
year due to a construction company building a new
crew accidentally severing bridge between islands
a main transmission line. drove a steel casing into
Without power, air con- an underground transmis-
ditioners went silent and sion line. The company,
ceiling fans stopped hum- PCL Construction, was dig-
ming as extremely humid ging at the site Friday to
temperatures reached 80 determine the extent of
degrees (26 Celsius). the damage. Officials said
“We were really disap- it could be days or weeks
pointed. You’re used to before it’s fixed. A better
things like this happening forecast wasn’t expected