NASA satellite images show Hatteras, Ocracoke power outage

DARE COUNTY, N.C. (WAVY/WNCT) — Images from a NASA satellite show before and after the lights went out in the southern Outer Banks due to a massive power outage.

The outage happened last Thursday after a construction crew drove a steel casing into the underground transmission cables at the Bonner Bridge. Two transmission cables were damaged, according to the Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative.

If a power outage spans across a large area, it can sometimes be seen from space.

NASA’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite on the Suomi NPP satellite captured images that show Hatteras and Ocracoke islands on July 27 (before the blackout) and on Saturday, July 30.

Thousands of tourists were forced to evacuate in the wake of the outages. A mandatory evacuation for all visitors remains in effect.

The Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative initially said power restoration could take between one to two weeks. On Wednesday, officials said complete transmission restoration for the island is expected in three to five days.