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Ocracoke and Hatteras Island Residents Await Power

Crews working at the site of the damaged transmission line
Courtesy of the NC Dot
Crews working at the site of the damaged transmission line

UPDATE: Officials now estimate between six and 10 days for power to be fully restored for Hatteras andOcracokeIslands.

Governor Roy Cooper ordered a mandatory evacuation of tourists on the islands after a contractor sliced through a line carrying electricity from mainland Dare County late last week. The islands are now running on alternative backup generators, but residents are being advised to reduce their electricity consumption. 

Frank Stasio speaks with WUNC reporter Jason deBruyn about how residents are coping with the power outage on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands.

The tourist exodus comes in the midst of high season for business owners. The outage has spurred some business owners to launch a class action lawsuit against PCL Constructors, the construction contractor that severed the power lines. Host Frank Stasio speaks with WUNC reporter Jason deBruyn about how residents there are coping. 

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.