In a brief Monday morning meeting, the Dare County Board of Commissioners issued a notice to proceed with debris cleanup to Southern Disaster Recovery of Greenville, SC.

The contractor’s crews were already in Hatteras village waiting for the go-ahead.

The contract with Southern Disaster Recovery is “pre-positioned,” meaning before a debris-creating storm. The contract was signed July 16, 2018.

Another contractor, Thompson Consulting Services, LLC, was also given the notice to proceed. Thompson provides monitoring services for navigating the funding and compliance requirements of the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance Program.

County manager Robert L. Outten reported that debris collection in Colington Harbor has been completed. In unincorporated Dare County, both Colington Harbor and Martin’s Point are considered gated communities, which are not eligible for FEMA reimbursement for debris cleanup.

The commissioners authorized Southern Disaster Recovery to pick up debris in Martin’s Point for an estimated $150,000. Debris removal started Monday in Martin’s Point.

Additionally, the commissioners authorized debris collection on non-system roads, which are usually not eligible for FEMA reimbursement. Outten indicated that in past disasters, the expenses for picking up debris on non-system roads have been covered.

Outten told the commissioners that he is waiving building permit fees for disaster-related repairs. He will ask for formal approval at the board’s next meeting, scheduled for Oct. 7.

In other matters, Wally Overman, BOC vice chairman, asked about the E-911 outage that occurred Thursday, Sept. 19. Outage notification went out at 2:47 p.m. with instructions to call central communications at 252-473-3444. Emergency communications were restored at 5:05 p.m.

Outten said the outage was caused by a CenturyLink software problem in Kansas City.

Overman asked if redundancy in the system was possible; Outten said, “we’ll ask.”

On Hatteras Island, debris removal will move from Hatteras to Frisco and northward. Updates for removal in other areas of unincorporated Dare County will be released as schedules are finalized.

The meeting, attended by all commissioners, started at 8:30 a.m., Monday, Sept. 23 in the commissioners meeting room in Manteo. The board adjourned at 8:40 a.m.

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