The National Weather Service is predicting that the effects of Hurricane Irene will impact the Outer Banks Group units, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial, by Friday, Aug. 26, with storm conditions continuing through Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011.

The Park Service is closing down campgrounds, visitor centers, and beaches today and tomorrow.

Dare County’s Control Group has not yet made a decision on evacuating Hatteras Island and the northern beaches.  The group will meet again late this afternoon.

All National Park Service campgrounds -- Ocracoke, Frisco, Cape Point and Oregon Inlet -- will close at noon today, Wednesday, Aug. 24.  The Ocracoke Campground reservation system has been temporarily suspended.

 The Silver Lake Marina NPS docks will also close at noon today. 

The Ocracoke Visitor Center, Hatteras Island, Bodie Island and Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh Visitor Centers will remain open until close of business today, then will remain closed until further notice.  Previously scheduled evening programs for Aug. 24 are cancelled. 

Lifeguarded beach operations at Ocracoke, Buxton, and Coquina Beach will close at 5 p.m. today, and remain closed until further notice.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will close at 6 p.m. today, until further notice.  All park special programs scheduled for Founder’s Day, Thursday, August 25, have been cancelled.  Regularly scheduled Fall interpretive programming will resume after the storm passes the area.

The Flags Over Hatteras event, scheduled for August 25-28, has been postponed until further notice due to the threat of Hurricane Irene. 

In preparation for the storm, Ocracoke beaches will be closed to off-road vehicles by 6 p.m. today, and all other beaches in the national seashore will close to off-road vehicles by 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25. 

For more information, listen to NOAA weather radio and local radio and media for updates.
 
Meanwhile, The Dare County Control Group has activated the Joint Information Section (JIS) in response to Hurricane Irene.  All information regarding local government agencies in Dare County will be released through this source effective today, Wednesday, Aug. 24.
 
The JIS is a collaborative organization that encompasses the six municipal governments in Dare County, the National Park Service, the Dare County Sheriff’s Office, and the County of Dare, all of which have representatives on the Dare County Control Group.  The JIS is operated in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Manteo and managed by Dare County Emergency Management.
 
Outlets for information include the following:

The Dare County website at www.darenc.com
Government Access Channel 20, Charter Cable Channel 20
Releases e-mailed and faxed to local, regional, and national press outlets
Emergency Management Public Phone Inquiry Line at 252-475-5655
 
Other Important Numbers:

• NCDOT inside North Carolina:  511
• NCDOT outside North Carolina:  1-877-DOT-4YOU (1-877-638-4968)
• North Carolina Highway Patrol:  1-800-441-6127
• Virginia DOT:  1-800-367-7623
• NC Ferry Service:  1-800-BY-FERRY
• Dominion/North Carolina Power:  1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357)
• Cape Hatteras Electric:  1-866-511-9862
• Tideland Electric:  1-800-637-1079
• North Carolina Attorney General (Price Gouging):  919-716-6000 (Outside NC) and 877-566-7226 (Inside NC)

 
The public and media should dial 911 in case of emergency only.