Severe Weather Update #14

The Village remains under a State of Emergency. There are still homes without sewer service and those homes shall not be occupied.
Update on recovery – grinder pumps, stormwater pumping, road conditions.
Hurricane season is not over, please review your plans.
Hazards – swimming advisory, mosquitos, flood water.
Brunswick County is encouraging businesses to submit damage information.
Useful links (link to assistance info added).
Please check our social media and/or media webpage for updates. This will be the last Village’s Voice announcement/update for PTC #8.

State of Emergency

The Village of Bald Head Island remains under a State of Emergency. The Village is still working to pump stormwater off the roads. Approximately 106 homes are without sewer service. Property owners are advised that these homes shall not be occupied.

There are still roads closed in the area. You can view the road conditions for the entire County, including Bald Head Island HERE it is being updated as conditions improve. The Village is also updating its list of impassible/inaccessible roads, view HERE.

Updates on Recovery

Grinder Pumps

Village Utilities continues to keep track of the flow to the wastewater plant since there are still submerged grinder pumps out there.

HERE is the updated list of homes that still have inoperable grinder pumps. The list was sent via CodeRED at 5:50 PM this evening. No grinder pumps were turned off today. Approximately 23 grinder pumps were turned back on since the last update. If the home is crossed off the grinder pump was determined operable and left on. The home can now be occupied.

We will continue to provide updates via CodeRed and on the Village Utilities webpage.

Stormwater Pumping

Both 10-inch pumps have been pushing stormwater off the island at the ocean outfalls since 6:00 p.m. Tuesday (9/17). The BHI Club and the Village continue to coordinate to push water through the lagoon bypass and outfall at BHI Creek.

Please be patient as we continue to pump water off the island to lower the water table which will allow the rainwater to percolate into the sandy soil. It will take a little more time to completely remove the standing water.

The Village plans on pumping stormwater off the island until further notice.

We are on day 7 of post-storm recovery. During Hurricane Florence, it took 3 weeks to get the water off the island.

Road Conditions

Road conditions continue to improve on the island. Most of the main roads are passable.

HERE is the Village’s latest list of impassible/inaccessible roads.

Hazards

There is still a swimming advisory in effect.
Mosquito spraying began Thursday. Not all mosquitos carry diseases, but since there is a possibility, they could, this measure is taken to protect the public’s health. HERE are a few tips for mosquito bite prevention
Contact with flood water can be hazardous because there may be contamination, potentially causing illness. Please use extra caution. There may also be wildlife displaced by the flooding. HERE is more information and tips on what to do if you come in contact with flood water.

Hurricane Season is Not Over

As the Village continues to respond to the impacts of PTC #8, it is important to continue to stay alert this hurricane season. We continue to keep an eye on disturbances that could impact our area later this week. In particular, Potential Tropical Cyclone #9. It is currently forecast to remain west of North Carolina, but the increased moisture will make showers and storms more likely in our area through Friday.

Here are a few ways you can stay prepared and alert.

Register for the Village’s CodeRed notification system. Make sure you use your BHI address. You will receive severe weather alerts from this system as well as information directly from the Village.
Remain alert for updates from the NWS-Wilmington at weather.gov/ilm and find the latest weather briefing at weather.gov/ilm/briefing and follow if you are on social media (Facebook/X/Instagram/).
Have multiple ways to get weather information (local news and radio stations, NOAA weather radios, National Weather Service, emergency alert notifications, etc.)
Have a plan. Know how you will keep yourself, your family, and your pets safe if severe weather is forecast for your area. Make sure you consider your family’s unique needs, including anyone who needs medicine or medical equipment. Know how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if you aren’t together when the severe weather event starts.
Have a basic disaster supplies kit at your home on BHI. As this past week illustrated, the forecast is not always accurate. Always be prepared.

You can find more preparedness information and resources HERE.

Businesses Encouraged to Submit Damage Information

From Brunswick County’s 9/22/2024 2 p.m. update:

Brunswick County is assisting North Carolina Emergency Management in gathering information from businesses that experienced either physical damages and/or financial/economic damages due to PTC #8. This survey is for businesses only. Residential property owners that experienced damages are encouraged to take photos and notes for possible state or federal assistance opportunities should they become available for our area in the future.

Business owners or managers can click here to take the survey. The deadline to submit has been extended to Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 12 p.m.

Helpful Links