EMERALD ISLE, NC. -- The tourist season doesn’t officially kick off until Memorial Day weekend, but Easter weekend is a good predictor of what is to come this summer after Hurricane Florence ravaged much of the beach town.
- Local business owners are not giving up
- Officials say the delay is due to difficulty finding contractors to complete repairs
- Tourists are still booking vacations
Local business owners are not giving up. Mike Stanley fixed and re-opened the Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier last month, there is a $ 21 million sand renourishment project underway, and Emerald Isle is ready to greet visitors for the summer.
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Tourists are still booking vacations, but the supply is significantly down since Florence. It's expected to pick up by mid summer, according to the reservation sales manager at Emerald Isle Realty, Katrina Brienza.
“So right now, I would say a lot, we are probably, about 25 percent of our homes are damaged and are not available for rentals. We see that going down. By Memorial Day we have it down to about 10% or so damaged and by July 4, ,we have it down to 45,” Brienza said.
She says the delay is due to difficulty finding contractors to complete repairs on so many homes throughout the coast.