State environmental officials have reopened two regional offices and kept a third regional office closed due to impacts from Hurricane Matthew.
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s offices in Washington and Raleigh were reopened to the public Tuesday. Both had been closed Monday due to flooding issues or power outages. Those issues were addressed sufficiently enough to reopen the offices, officials with the agency said.
The Fayetteville regional office remained closed Tuesday. Officials say the Fayetteville office will likely be closed for the rest of the week, after flood waters are pumped out of the building and the power is restored.
People needing permit or other environmental assistance should be patient. Staffing in both offices is limited because some employees must continue working from home or are responding to environmental and public safety emergencies. Until normal conditions resume, staff will respond as quickly as possible to voice mails or emails sent to a work email address.
People needing environmental assistance should first attempt to contact their closest regional office. If assistance is not readily available at that location, you may also call the department’s toll-free hotline: 1-877-623-6748. To report an environmental emergency in North Carolina, call 1-800-858-0368.
The state agency has staff in seven regional offices responsible for enforcing regulations and managing environmental programs for different geographic areas throughout the state.
The agency’s regional offices in Mooresville, Asheville, Winston-Salem and Wilmington did not sustain significant storm damage and have remained open this week.
The state’s coastal management and marine fisheries offices in Elizabeth City, Morehead City, Wilmington and Washington are open, but some offices have limited staffing due to the storm. Also, the state marine fisheries office in Manteo is open. If you are unable to reach a marine fisheries employee, call the Morehead City office at 252-726-7021 or 1-800-682-2632. All the state’s coastal reserves are open.