RALEIGH – Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency Thursday in Dare and Hyde counties after back-to-back coastal storms damaged N.C. Highway 12, a step intended to coordinate repairs and support the state’s request for federal aid.
Executive Order 41 says a Sept. 24 storm brought high winds, heavy rain, ocean overwash and flooding to the Outer Banks. The order says the storm caused structural damage between the Marc Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe in Dare County and damaged dunes and the highway near the Ocracoke ferry terminal in Hyde County.
A second coastal storm on Oct. 16 caused additional damage to N.C. 12 on Hatteras Island and again disrupted ferry service, according to the order. Dare County declared local states of emergency after both storms and ordered visitors to evacuate Hatteras Island during the October storm.
The order declares Dare and Hyde counties the emergency area and directs state and local agencies to cooperate under the state Emergency Operations Plan. Stein delegated response authority to interim Department of Public Safety Secretary Casandra Hoekstra and authorized her to seek federal assistance and reimbursement for state response costs.
N.C. 12 is a federal-aid highway. Stein also called on the Federal Highway Administration to provide emergency-relief funding for repairs. The executive order says the state has already requested assistance through the federal program.
Independent reporting by the Island Free Press and WITN said the Department of Transportation activated 24-hour emergency ferry service between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe while part of the highway remained closed. Crews were working to restore more than 1,800 feet of protective dunes near the Pea Island Visitor Center and clear blown sand from the roadway.
The Island Free Press reported that roughly 800 feet of pavement had been undermined by ocean water as of Wednesday. Transportation officials said additional high-tide cycles and overwash would need to subside before they could fully assess the damage and determine the repairs required to restore access.
The declaration took effect immediately Thursday and will remain in place until it is rescinded.
Sources
- North Carolina Executive Order 41, Oct. 22, 2026
- Island Free Press, Oct. 22, 2026
- WITN, Oct. 22, 2026
Photo Credit: Ken Lund via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped and resized.
Editor’s Note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.