Hurricane Florence Relief Efforts:

How We Can All Help – For all of our Emerald Isle Realty homeowners, rental guests and friends who sent messages of love and support and asked how you can help, we would like to direct you to two donation sites that we know will be used for immediate, local assistance.

SWANSBORO UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Our local church will be serving as a regional help center for hurricane victims in need of assistance: Donate to Hurricane Florence Relief here. All donations will be distributed to those affected in the Swansboro, NC area.

Several churches in the area are coordinating the collection and distribution of funds. When you reach our donation page, HURRICANE FLORENCE RELIEF is the first entry.

If you prefer, you may mail your donation to us at Swansboro UMC, 665 W Corbett Ave., Swansboro NC 28584. Please be sure to put “Florence” in the memo line of your check.

CORE SOUND WATERFOWL MUSEUM AND HERITAGE CENTER

Down East Carteret County has also been severely affected by the flooding and devastation from hurricane Florence. We are partnering with the Carteret County Public Schools Foundation to collect contributions that provide hurricane relief for school children and families of Carteret County.As we did during Hurricane Isabel in 2003, our shared purpose is to provide resources for families to help return to their homes as soon as possible following the devastation brought about by flood waters, wind damage and loss of family income due to the impacts of Hurricane Florence.

Ways You Can Help – Donate online: http://www.coresound.com/hurricane-relief
Donations may also be mailed to Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center, PO Box 556, Harkers Island, NC  28531 memo: Community & Family Hurricane Relief

100% of contributions made to this effort will be directed to families in need of economic assistance as reviewed by school personnel. Foundation and Museum coordinators Tabbie Nance and Karen Amspacher will work with classroom teachers, guidance counselors and school personnel to identify and help meet the immediate and long term needs of Carteret County families.

The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center will direct their resources to families in need throughout the Down East communities including South River and Merrimon.

HANDS ON ASSISTANCE

We need help cleaning the beach strand and yards from all the accumulated debris.  If you would like to bring sturdy shoes, work gloves and help with the cleanup, this is a great way to restore our beautiful island home.

Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center is also seeking hands on assistance for many recovery efforts in their area.  Check their web page and Facebook page for opportunities to help CoreSound.com

September 16, 2018 5:00 pm

The word of the day (and for the next few days) is egress.

The town of Emerald Isle has opened the bridge to business owners, homeowners and permanent residents with disaster re-entry passes. The morning briefing also shared a good route through Greenville that our staff is using today to return to the island and begin the hard work of clean up and assessment. Egress through eastern North Carolina remains problematic and egress to certain neighborhoods, especially Coast Guard Road areas, is very difficult.

Homeowners, if you are able to safely travel to the island to participate in the cleanup and repairs, please know we truly need your assistance and welcome any help you are physically able to give. For our elderly homeowners and those who due to work constraints cannot travel to Carteret County this week, please know we will be assessing and communicating as swiftly and efficiently as humanly possible.

For our returning and arriving rental guests, the island is still under a mandatory evacuation order as of Sunday and for those of you with Red Sky travel protection plans, you are still covered for these additional nights. Electricity has not yet been restored but the town believes the critical water supply issue may have been resolved. Another uncertainty is how quickly our local grocery stores will be able to restock their shelves but we will continue to update once we have the good news from our grocers.

One thing not in doubt is islanders and island businesses are of hearty stock and we are eager to begin clearing debris and doing all that is possible to prepare to welcome homeowners and rental guests back for some lovely fall weekends. Again, we are touched beyond words by your continued outpouring of offers to help, your prayers and your love for Emerald Isle.

Hurricane Florence Update

September 15, 2018 5:00 pm 

Waiting for information is the name of the game today and we empathize with our hundreds of rental guests, homeowners, neighbors and friends as we all are eager for news of our homes and our beautiful island.  Our great appreciation goes out to the tireless efforts by the town of Emerald Isle as they are doing the superhuman task of assessing for damage and shoring up the infrastructure to make the island safe for our return.  Today’s news from the Emerald Isle town bulletin tells us they are continuing to struggle with the critical issues of protecting our water supply, restoring electrical power, and clearing roads from trees and power lines.  No re-entry to Emerald Isle today and we will await the news for tomorrow.  We firmly agree with the town’s position to keep the town under curfew and the bridge closed until the prognosis is better.

Travel across the state of North Carolina remains precarious today and it will be difficult for our returning Emerald Isle Realty staff, residents, rental guests and homeowners to find a safe passage, perhaps for days to come.  As of today, Highway 24  and Highway 172 near Hubert are closed to traffic due to flooding.  Swansboro and Cedar Point are also still experiencing flooded roads especially during high tidal swings.

The ocean is still very turbulent and we are experiencing extraordinary high tides as we approach the autumn equinox as well as the after effects of hurricane Florence.

We love this place just as you do and already know that we will come together as a community to rebuild our homes, clear the debris and begin again.  Through two dark nights of relentless rain and wind it is your messages that have sustained us and given us hope.  Your promises to help mean everything and in the coming days we will let you know where these offers for donations of time, labor and money may be best directed.  Until then, keep our neighbors who are facing the loss of their primary homes in your prayers as well as all who need to be rescued from the rising flood waters.  The Emerald Isle we love and the Crystal Coast will be back, better than ever, and those sweet sunny days of fall are ahead.

Hurricane Florence Update 

September 14, 2018 1:00 pm

Today we are feeling blessed that our fervent prayers were answered for Florence to weaken from a Category 4 hurricane to a Category 1.  As I am sure you have seen from monitoring the news carefully, she came ashore at Wrightsville Beach this morning near 7:00 am after pounding the coast with hurricane force winds all through the night.  From on the scene reports from Frank Rush and the Town of Emerald Isle we know that damage to our homes is significant but fortunately, not catastrophic as we had feared when the predictions were we would be in the North East quadrant of a Category 4, slow moving hurricane.  The brute force of a Category 1 meant it was a rough night for all who rode it out in Carteret County.  I’d like to give a shout out to our brave IT guy for Emerald Isle Realty, Matt Weinberg, who stayed with his family in our office with generator power to make sure our servers were okay through the storm and to keep our email up and running.  Thank you Matt.  Matt is also a US Army veteran who was deployed to Bosnia but is also a veteran employee of the Emerald Isle Realty family and has helped us through many hurricanes.  On a personal note, my family chose Raleigh as our safe place to evacuate and we have one manager with us to assist with our post storm preparation and messages.  Like our remaining staff, homeowners and rental guests the next task is for us to determine when the tropical force winds, tornado warnings and flooding will allow us the opportunity to travel safely back to our beloved island home.

Please know that we will assemble our staff and re-open the office as quickly as possible but there remains many unknowns due to the size of Florence, the rainfall predicted and safety of travel. Quoting Governor Roy Cooper’s message today, “Florence continues the violent grind across our state for days to come” and “this is a 1000 year rain event”.  From photos shared by friends and neighbors, there will be quite a bit of cleanup from downed trees and we were saddened to learn that our beautiful ancient water oak tree in front of the Emerald Isle Realty office did not make it.  When we are back on the island our immediate priority will be assessing each property for damage as well as its fit and habitable status for returning and arriving guests.  Guests, please, even when the evacuation order is lifted you must make personal decisions based on when you discern it is safe for you and your family to travel.  When we are able, we will communicate with homeowners through the OwnerWeb platform with assessment of your property.  Rental guests, please email us at getaways@EIRealty.com  the best telephone number for you to receive text messages for the status of you property.

Tropical force winds continue today and storm surge with flooding may still be occurring.  We were so gratified that the beach nourishment many of us worked so hard to accomplish after the beach devastation of Bertha and Fran in 1996 and Floyd in 1999 achieved the goal of providing vital protection to our island homes.  The primary dune held and so far, no reports from Emerald Isle that the dune was breached.

We have much to be thankful for today and ready to work hard to put our island back together.  Thank you for all the caring messages that tell us you love this island just as much as we do.  We promise she will be beautiful again but long days of clean up are ahead.

FROM THE TOWN OF EMERALD ISLE INFORMATION ON BRIDGE OPENING:

Emerald Isle Bridge Will Remain Closed on Friday, and Likely Beyond

It is not yet safe for property owners or the general public to return to Emerald Isle, and it may take several days to make it safe.  The Emerald Isle bridge will remain closed until further notice, and no one will be allowed to enter Emerald Isle until further notice.

The Emerald Isle bridge will NOT OPEN on Friday, and future decisions will be made on a day-to-day basis depending on conditions on the ground.

The Town remains under a Town-wide curfew, and the curfew will remain in effect until it is safe for the public to travel around Emerald Isle.

The curfew will be lifted and the bridge will be reopened only when Town officials have determined that it is safe for property owners, residents, and the general public.  Public safety is the Town’s top priority.  Information about the bridge and the curfew will be disseminated on the Town’s various digital platforms listed below as soon as these decisions are made.

All of us at the Town understand everyone’s concerns about their property and your desire to return to Emerald Isle as soon as possible, and all of us are working as hard as we possibly can to allow you to do that safely.  We thank you for your patience and your understanding as we work to ensure your safety and the safety of others.  

To receive the most current information from the Town of Emerald Isle, please:

– visit the Town’s website at https://www.emeraldisle-nc.org/ ,

– check the Town’s Facebook page at Town of Emerald Isle, NC,

– follow the Town’s Twitter feed: @townemeraldisle,

– sign up for the Town’s email newsletter at https://www.emeraldisle-nc.org/email-text-notifications , 

– sign up for text message alerts at https://www.emeraldisle-nc.org/email-text-notifications , and/or

– download the Emerald Isle APP at Google Play and The APP Store (search for “emerald isle nc“) and enable “push” notifications.

MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDER for Hurricane Florence

EMERALD ISLE REALTY

September 11, 2018   5:00 pm

Our office will close at 6:00 pm today and we will be closed for business until after Hurricane Florence has passed safely by and the island reopens to non-residents.    We appreciate all the guests who have already checked out today and for those waiting to evacuate tonight or early tomorrow please leave your keys in the drop box on our front porch.

Hurricane Florence remains a Serious Threat to Emerald Isle

The Town of Emerald Isle will be posting excellent updates leading up to and after the storm thanks to our town manager, Frank Rush and you can monitor these updates at https://www.emeraldisle-nc.org/hurricane-information .  Check here for information concerning mandatory evacuation information, post storm damage assessment and for when the island curfew is lifted.

The Category 4 storm currently has maximum winds of 130 mph, and is moving west-northwest at 16 mph.  Florence is expected to strengthen, and winds are expected to reach 150 mph on Wednesday.  Hurricane Florence is a potentially life-threatening storm, and Emerald Isle is likely to receive significant impacts – in terms of wind, storm surge, and rainfall.  

For our current Rental Guests still on the island continue preparing to evacuate and check out Wednesday by 9:00 am so you can safely reach shelter before life threatening conditions begin late Wednesday.  This is a Mandatory Evacuation for everyone, residents and non-residents.

Our maintenance crews are still out securing property, and lowering hurricane shutters.  We request your cooperation. When you depart, you may help us by securing all windows and doors and double checking they are securely locked.  Place all garbage in outside trash receptacles and make sure the lids are securely fastened.  Do not leave any food in the refrigerator as we will be turning off electricity.  Water will also be shut off.

Homeowners of Emerald Isle Realty please log-in to our Homeowner page for more information and we will also send email updates as necessary.

Rental guests scheduled to arrive Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, continue to monitor hurricane Florence’s progress.  We will communicate directly with you by text message and please also continue to monitor this website and Facebook and other social media for updates.  We remain hopeful that damage will be minimal and for nice beach weather when the island reopens for business.

Thank you to all the guests and homeowners who have been showering us with your kind messages of love for our island, your prayers and your generous offers to assist.  Be safe through this storm!

MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDER for Hurricane Florence

EMERALD ISLE REALTY

 Tuesday, September 11 @ 9:00am

Hurricane Florence is a life threatening and dangerous Category 4 storm.  In the strongest terms we encourage you to evacuate today, Tuesday, 9/11 by 1:00pm.  Please drop your keys by our office so we know you have safely departed.  Before leaving please ensure EVERY WINDOW AND DOOR ARE SECURELY LOCKED.  Take all food and personal items with you.  Our maintenance and housekeeping staff will be coming by to secure outside porch furniture, trash cans and lower hurricane shutters.  PLEASE cooperate to your fullest during this state of emergency when time is of the essence.  Since we are under a mandatory evacuation guests who purchased travel insurance will be covered for the duration of the evacuation order.  Carteret County has not been threatened by a storm of this size and no one should remain in any rental property.  The closest shelter is Knightdale, NC near Raleigh, NC. Please have safe travels home and we look forward to welcoming you back for a future visit.

Hurricane Preparedness – Be Ready

EMERALD ISLE REALTY

Update #1 – Monday, September 10, 2018 @ 1:00pm

It is partly cloudy with a few showers on Emerald Isle today.  Our current rental guests are enjoying another nice day on the island.  We ask everyone to join us as we are very closely monitoring the progress of hurricane Florence.

From the Town of Emerald Isle this morning:

Hurricane Florence is a Serious Threat to Emerald Isle

Town officials have been monitoring Hurricane Florence since last week, and continue to monitor the storm, which is currently located approximately 1,250 miles southeast of Emerald Isle.   Hurricane Florence is currently forecast to make landfall near Wilmington, NC sometime late Thursday night, and is currently forecast to be a very powerful Category 4 storm at landfall. The exact storm track is likely to change, however, and it is still possible that Emerald Isle will receive a direct hit.  Everyone should be monitoring Florence now and making plans to keep your family safe during the storm.

The Town of Emerald Isle will be posting excellent updates leading up to and after the storm thanks to our town manager, Frank Rush and you can monitor these updates at https://www.emeraldisle-nc.org/hurricane-information .

As we do with every storm that is predicted to make landfall near Carteret County, the Emerald Isle Realty staff is preparing for the worst while still praying for the best.

For our current Rental Guests already on the island, you can anticipate text or email updates on Florence as conditions deteriorate or if an official evacuation order comes from the town or the county.  Our maintenance crews may be coming by Tuesday or Wednesday to secure porch furniture and lower hurricane shutters and we request your cooperation.  Please advise our office if you do plan to check out early.  When you depart, you may help us by securing all windows and doors and double checking they are securely locked.  Place all garbage in outside trash receptacles and make sure the lids are securely fastened.  Do not leave any food in the refrigerator as we will be turning off electricity.  Water will also be shut off.

Homeowners of Emerald Isle Realty please log-in to our Homeowner page for more information and we will also send email updates as necessary.

Rental guests scheduled to arrive Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, continue to monitor hurricane Florence’s progress.  We remain hopeful that damage will be minimal and for nice beach weather for the remainder of next week with some beautiful fall days in the forecast.

Hurricane Preparedness – Be Ready