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Hurricane season officially begins on Tuesday, June 1, 2021 and Dare County Emergency Management encourages all Dare County residents, non-resident property owners and business owners to visit www.DareNC.com/Reentry to obtain a 2021 reentry permit. Permits can be obtained via the online system at any time. Reentry permits are issued as a PDF file via email. Once issued, reentry permits expire at the end of the calendar year.

Dare County businesses owners who have been approved in the past do not need to reapply. Their assigned “administrator” can manage permits and only needs to contact Dare County Emergency Management if changes to their accounts need to be made. Changes might include assigning a new “administrator” or changing the number of permits allocated to their business.

During a declared state of emergency that requires a mandatory evacuation in order to ensure public safety, Dare County officials will determine when the area is safe to return to. Delays to reentry into the county can be caused by a variety of factors, including limited public safety response capabilities, damaged/inoperative water supply systems, limited communications, power outages, septic issues, undermined structures, debris making roadways unsafe or impassable and damage to personal property and critical infrastructure needed to support the population.

Dare County operates a staged reentry process that is used to facilitate a safe and orderly return to the community following an evacuation that has taken place. Dare County Emergency Management reminds the public that no one will be denied reentry as long as they have obtained and can present the proper forms of identification to checkpoint officials.

In order to enter the county following a mandatory evacuation, individuals must present a current and valid reentry permit – expired reentry permits will not be accepted.

Dare County’s reentry process is staged in order of the priority of an individual returning to the community during the recovery period that follows a storm and includes the following four categories:

• Priority One: Essential Personnel. (Essential utilities personnel, government personnel, medical personnel and damage assessment personnel.)
• Priority Two: Permanent Residents and Essential Personnel for Critical Businesses. (Non-resident essential personnel of critical businesses such as grocery stores, food distributors, pharmacies, banks, gas stations, property management companies, building supply stores and hotels.)
• Priority Three: Non-Resident Property Owners and Non-Resident Employees of Non-Critical Businesses.
• Priority Four: General Public and Visitors. (No reentry permit is needed for Priority Four.)

If you are a Currituck County or Hyde County resident, you do not need to apply for a Dare County reentry permit. Valid reentry permits issued by Currituck County and Hyde County will be honored at traffic control points in Dare County according to their phased reentry schedule.

Dare County Emergency Management also reminds individuals to sign up to receive emergency alerts – including severe weather watches and warnings, public safety and emergency-related warnings, county-wide evacuation orders and other time-critical notifications – via the new OBX Alerts platform by visiting www.OBXAlerts.com.

For more information and resources to help prepare for the upcoming hurricane season, visit www.ReadyNC.gov.

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