Commonly Asked Questions

A hurricane is a combination of damage from rising water and the effects of high-force winds. A home is insured through the Federal Flood Insurance Program for the consequences of water being pushed over the land. Additionally, a Wind and Hail Policy covers the results of winds that can range from 75-160 MPH. A fire policy and public liability coverage are the least expensive policies, a buyer will need to purchase. A buyer will be investing between $4000-$6000 per year for these policies.

We generally range between 35-45 degrees during the day. We normally have 3-4 frosts a winter. I have seen temperatures drop as low as 13 degrees; when it lasted for 5 days and nights, the water pipes on the island turned rock solid. We normally see one snow flurry per winter; the school used to let the kids loose in the yard to take advantage of the hour that the snow would stay on the ground before melting. We also have some surprisingly sunny days; it is such a treat to see 70 degrees in February! The other response to the question about winters on Ocracoke always centers around how life has a chance to slow down; how one gets to spend more time with friends and family; how the community takes advantage of school, church, and government activities.

Nothing and everything! This island is a place where you can sleep late, stroll to a breakfast spot, go for a swim, nap, read, eat more and go to bed; wake up and repeat. After that pattern becomes second nature, one could add biking, surf fishing, shell hunting along our 13 miles of undeveloped beach, boating, a trip to Portsmouth, parasailing, deep-sea fishing, shopping, a trip to The Preservation Museum offering “Porch Talks”, dining in many of our local restaurants, buying locally caught seafood to cook a special meal, check out our book store for the latest in good reading, catch local musicians performing nightly, enjoy the sunset either from the sound side or from our local schooner, stargazing on the beach, spend more time with your kids playing games or working puzzles, go for an ice cream cone, check out the Lighthouse, Springer’s Point Preserve, or the Ocracoke Ponies. I will end with one of my favorite places. Across from the National Park Service, Pony Pens is a walkway that leads to a platform deck, built on the top of a high sand dune. The view from this vantage point is expansive and a full 360 degrees. I've seen pods of dolphins feeding in the late afternoon. There was a Thanksgiving weekend where 20 of us watched a North Atlantic Right Whale feeding just before sunset. Ocracoke has endless possibilities.