Tourists were evacuated Saturday from parts of Cape Hatteras National Seashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina after a construction company accidentally severed an underground power transmission cable Thursday.

Hyde and Dare counties issued the mandatory evacuation for all non-residents from Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, effective Saturday morning, “to protect life safety during this period of lost and unreliable electrical service.” As of Saturday afternoon, the NC DOT Ferry Division reported that it had evacuated 3,783 people and 1,485 vehicles. Any reservations for ferry service to and from Ocracoke have been canceled for Saturday and Sunday.

The Cape Point Campground, Frisco Campground, and Ocracoke Campground closed at noon Saturday and will remain closed until the evacuation orders are lifted. The Oregon Inlet Campground remains open; however, it is expected to fill to capacity this weekend. According to the park, visitor centers, ORV permit offices, and other facilities on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands will remain open unless excessive heat necessitates a closure. All ORV routes will remain open. ORV permits will be sold on a cash-only basis until power is restored.

All Cape Hatteras National Seashore areas north of the Oregon Inlet are not impacted by the electricity outages or evacuation orders.

On Thursday, PCL Construction accidentally drove a steel casing into Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative’s underground transmission cable near Oregon Inlet. During repair efforts Saturday, crews from PCL Construction, Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative, and New River Construction discovered that the line is completely severed and missing a 2-foot section.

“Cape Hatteras National Seashore appreciates the remarkable efforts being made by the Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative and Tideland Electric Membership Corporation to find temporary power solutions and a long-term repair,” the park said in a release.

• Status updates for campgrounds and other NPS facilities will be listed in the Alerts section of the Seashore’s website and Facebook page.
• Follow Hatteras Island electric updates from the Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative Facebook page.
• Follow Hyde County updates on Ocracoke evacuation notices on their Facebook page.
• Follow Ocracoke Island electric updates on the Tideland Electric Membership Cooperative Facebook page.
• Go to Dare County's website for updates on evacuation notices.