Key Information:
- The Village is still under a State of Emergency. Still responding to PTC #8, preparing for Helene.
- Predicted impacts of Helene for the BHI area.
- What BHI property owners should be doing now to prepare.
- Village operations for Friday (9/27).
- The swimming advisory remains in effect.
- Southport remains congested at times, suggested routes.
- Find regular updates on our response to PTC #8 and Helene on our social media channels and the *new* Severe Weather Event webpage. Sign up for Brunswick County updates.
State of Emergency
The Village of Bald Head Island is still under a State of Emergency (SOE). While most of our sewer customers have been restored, the flows to the wastewater treatment plant are still elevated. In account of the approaching severe weather (Helene) and with an abundance of caution, the SOE will remain in place.
The Village continues to pump stormwater off the island (Day 10).
Impacts from Helene
According to the latest National Weather Service Wilmington briefing (HERE), the local impacts of Helene are expected to include:
- Gusty winds – starting tonight, isolated downed trees, possible power outages.
- Some areas of flooding – starting tonight, 1-3 inches of rainfall is expected with some localized higher amounts possible. There could be some flash flooding, especially in areas where the ground is still saturated by PTC 8.
- Isolated tornadoes – threat starting late tonight into Friday, safety info HERE.
- Dangerous surf conditions – strong rip currents today through Friday.
These impacts could have an impact on ferry and barge service. Please stay up-to-date by checking the BHI Transportation app/website and barge website.
Prepare NOW
- Tie down any items that could blow away and elevate items that may get damaged due to flood.
- 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 the local NWS office 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. 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.
- Restock your disaster supplies kit.
Village Operations
Village offices will be closed tomorrow (9/27) with office staff working remotely. You may contact them by email or phone (directory).
The Island Package Center and Post Office will be open tomorrow on its normal schedule barring any ferry delays. Barge service may be impacted tomorrow which will delay package delivery to the island. USPS mail and packages are expected to be delivered to the island via ferry if it is running normally. Check the package tracker (HERE) to determine if your packages made it there.
Essential personnel will be on the island tomorrow to manage the Village’s response to Helene.
Swimming Advisory
There is still a swimming advisory in effect for BHI. The advisory from the State released today lifted the advisory from most areas in New Hanover and Brunswick counties but left BHI’s as still in effect. Water samples were sent to the State yesterday. We should receive an updated notice in the next few days if it can be lifted.
Southport Traffic
Traffic remains congested in Southport at times. The City of Southport (and others) have been working with NCDOT to minimize the congestion as there is only one way in and one way out of Southport proper. View this MAP for suggested routes.
Updates Posted on Socials/Webpage
Find regular updates on our response to PTC #8 and Helene on our social media channels and the *new* Severe Weather Event webpage. We will be sharing updates from Brunswick County. Folks can sign up to receive their updates directly via email HERE.