Herbert C. Bonner Bridge access restricted (bridge to Hatteras) for work...

[rob-kayak]

Herbert C. Bonner Bridge access restricted (bridge to Hatteras, Rodanthe, etc) for work...

https://apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases/details.aspx?r=9088

[bruce19365]

I was on that bridge 10/25/90 about an hour before it was struck by a barge and a 300' section of the bridge fell into the inlet on 10/26. We were on out way to Hatteras Village for a few days of fishing and actually stopped and watched the floundering barge from the bridge for a few minutes then proceeded on the Hatteras Village. The next four days were a nightmare. That storm flooded the barrier islands - we had 3' of water over the road in Hatteras Village that following morning and no phones or electricity. After the water receded the local grocery store shelves were stripped bare, as was the hardware store of candles, oil lamps and other emergency equipment. Luckily we had food, water and a camp grill with us for the weekend. It took us two days to get a message home that we were OK. Messages actually went out over HAM radio - no cell phones then - and were relayed to family. After the storm passed there was nothing for us to do but fish - yeah that was tough to do. We waited three days to get in line for the ferry over to Ocracoke Island, then wait in a 7 mile long line for the ferry over to the main land to get home. It was certainly an experience I will not forget and helps me (somewhat) understand the difficulty in being stuck in a "disaster area".