The storm did an estimated $148 million in damage to the North Carolina coast. And that is probably not anywhere near the final tally given that repairs to N.C. 12 at Hatteras Island
have not even begun yet.
The storm breached the only road in four places. Roughly 2,300 residents are cut off from the mainland, not just because of the road but also due to a loss of electricity and little
communication.
This problem could be prolonged due to the fact that a big part of the destruction is within the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge (www.fws.gov/peaisland). This makes it a federal
government issue. This means that road work inside the refuge requires
cooperation among the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOT, the state Division of
Coastal Management, Department of the Interior/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
and the refuge manager. Information is being collected and a meeting with
representatives from all of these agencies will be held soon (?) to determine
how to proceed.
On a happier note, the wild ponies of Shackleford Banks, Ocracoke Island, and Currituck are just fine. Before the storm, there were 18 wild horses on Ocracoke Island, 116 on Shackleford Banks, and 128 at Currituck. Thanks to a birth the day after Irene, the total is now
117 on Shackleford Banks! After 400 years, I guess the horses have learned how to survive pretty much anything. And folks on the Outer Banks have also learned how to survive…
For more on these wild horses, visit www.shacklefordhorses.org, www.corollawildhorses.com, and www.ocracokeisland.com/ponypasture.htm
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