MAJOR DAMAGES State and federal officials are conducting joint preliminary damage assessments in affected counties early this week. Damage estimates should be available by Friday.

TRAVEL INFORMATION

D.O.T. has cleared debris from most primary and secondary roads throughout the areas of northeastern North Carolina affected by Hurricane Isabel. More than 2,000 D.O.T employees and 400 pieces of equipment have been deployed. In addition, 18 inmate crews totaling 153 inmates are working on clean-up assignments. An additional 51 inmate crews are on standby. Seven additional inmate work crews equipped with chain saws are relocating from western North Carolina to assist 19 chain saw crews already located in the east.

D.O.T. will continue to repair the remaining damage including the Highway 12 washout near Frisco and a breach in U.S. 158 near Kitty Hawk. State D.O.T. officials are working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on an environmentally sound plan of action to repair Highway12. Work on Highway 12 is expected to be completed by early November.

Highway conditions are posted on the department's real-time travel information website. Citizens may go to www.ncdot.org and click on “Real-Time Travel Info.”

All ferry service has resumed, except those running from Swan Quarter and Cedar Island to Ocracoke.

POWER OUTAGES
There are between 70,000 and 95,000 customers currently without power, down from a high of 691,000 during the peak of the storm.

SHELTERS
There are five shelters open at this time. Carteret County has 75 people at the Atlantic Elementary School; Gates County has 40 people at Gates High School; Gatesville; Hertford County has 36 people at Hertford County High School in Ahoskie; Hyde County has 25 people at Mattamuskeet High School in Swan Quarter; and Pasquotank has 7 people at Kermit E. White Building in Elizabeth City. During the peak of the storm, there were over 16,000 people in 127 shelters across the state.

The receiving site for donated goods was acquired through America’s Second Harvest Food Bank and is being donated by Regional Storage and Transportation Inc. in Greenville. To coordinate a donation, please call the N.C. Emergency Information Hotline at 1-888-835-9966.

There is also a need for volunteers to assist in the recovery effort. Those who would like to volunteer with an organization, to receive information about specific donations or to obtain delivery directions should call the N.C. Emergency Information Hotline at 1-888-835-9966.

N.C. NATIONAL GUARD
There are currently 1,500 soldiers deployed assisting with recovery efforts.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
North Carolina Emergency Management: www.ncem.org

North Carolina State Government: www.ncgov.com click on “Storm Information”

Governor’s Disaster Hotline 1-888-835-9966 or TTY 1-877-877-1765

FEMA 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585

American Red Cross at 1-866-GETINFO (1-866-438-4636)