Summer vacation turned into a veritable nightmare for thousands of Tourists when they had to make a hasty retreat from the outer banks because of a sudden power outage that was expected to last for an unspecified period. There was a mad rush of people and cars to board the ferry to get out of Ocracoke Island. The ferry is the only means of transport in the region and people had to face the possible shortage of fuel and food.
It was an unexpected situation for people who had come to enjoy their vacation but had to go without refrigerators and air conditioners.
Needless to say, the plight of the vacationers was miserable.
Reason for the power outage
Daily Mail UK reports that the sudden power outage in Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands was from a break in the transmission line. It seems a construction company is engaged in building a new bridge between the Outer Banks and the mainland and there the underground line broke when work was going on. Officials are trying to assess the extent of damage and, from indications, it would take time to repair the damages.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has declared a state of emergency and generators have been sent. The population of these islands is around 5000 and tourism is their lifeline. The summer tourist season is their bread and butter and those who run business are faced with a bleak future, if only temporarily.
Journey back home
Once they leave the island, tourists could face a slow, crowded ride back home from Outer Banks. According to estimates, the power outage has affected nearly 9,000 customers on the two islands with maximum number on Hatteras. A boat captain on Ocracoke Island, had a large group booking but very few showed up after the power outage.
Electricity is the main source of domestic power and when it fails, there are problems not just at night but during the day when all electrical appliances fail.
Recently, thousands of tourists on the French Riviera had to flee from forest fires. No one plans for fires when on a vacation and the tourists were caught unawares.
Of course, those who proceed on a holiday have to always be prepared to face unforeseen circumstances which is usually related to weather. However, cutting short a planned vacation because of power outage was totally unexpected.
Those responsible for this might treat it as an accident and tender an apology but the fact remains that it spoiled the plans of thousands. The locals, who depend on summer tourism, have been hit hard. It will take them time to recover from the outage.
