News Release

Post Hurricane Florence October 2 Update

Date: October 2, 2018
Contact: B.G. Horvat, 252-838-8906

Harkers Island, N.C. – The National Park Service Incident Management Team (IMT) demobilized today. The team began their response to Hurricane Florence on September 12, two days before the Category 1 storm made landfall, and planned for and worked on stabilization efforts at Cape Lookout National Seashore and Moores Creek National Battlefield since then. Now, Cape Lookout staff resumes the daily operations bringing the park back to normal operations.  

Cape Lookout National Seashore – OPEN WITH LIMITED SERVICES

• Sevan cabins at Great Island will be reopening on Friday, October 5.
  • Original reservation holders will be contacted.
  • If the original reservation holders decline, the cabins will be released to the public on a rolling basis at www.recreation.gov .
  • Services available include fuel, ice, bathhouse, and dump station.
  • Cabins will be added to the “open” inventory as they become available.
• Long Point cabins remain closed with reservations canceled for the rest of the season. Due to damages to infrastructure and buildings, the park hopes to reopen Long Point cabin camp in Spring 2019.
  • Services still available include fuel, and ice.
  • No bathhouse or running water available.
  • Dump station is unavailable at this time, but may become available in the near future.
• Vehicle and passenger ferry service will resume on Thursday, October 4, 2018.
  • Due to the formation of a new shoal at the west-end of Shackleford Banks, the park’s authorized passenger ferry concessionaire, Island Express Ferry Service, will be unable to run service from Beaufort, NC until further notice. Visitors will be able to take the ferry to the east-end of Shackleford Banks from Harkers Island.
• Beach driving will resume Thursday on North Core, and South Core Banks when vehicle ferry operations resume out of Davis, NC and Atlantic, NC.
  • Use caution as the beach has changed and many obstructions have washed ashore and/or uncovered themselves. Please note new signs indicating areas off limits to driving and camping. These areas will reopen as the beach continues to stabilize.
  • Please check ahead of time, and be aware of high and low tides as some areas may become impassable throughout portions of the day.
• Beach camping will resume Thursday on North Core, South Core, and Shackleford Banks.
  • Prepare ahead of time, by checking the weather forecast, bring food, water, sunscreen, and other necessary incidentals.
• Cape Lookout National Seashore is a trash-free park. Please pack out any trash you generate.
• Portsmouth Village has reopened and is accessible by private boat or ferry out of Ocracoke.
• The Harkers Island Visitor Center is reopened today.
  • Hours of operation are daily from 9:00 am to 5 pm.
• The Beaufort Visitor Information Center is open.
  • Hours of operation are daily from 8:30 am to 5 pm.

The National Park Service staff will provide continuing updates as they occur with post Hurricane Florence operations on the park storm watch page at www.nps.gov/calo and via Facebook.