$10M Settlement Proposed for North Carolina Tourist Islands Hit by Power Outages

A preliminary settlement would allow those who lost power for days last summer on two North Carolina islands to divvy up more than $10 million.

News outlets report that documents filed in federal court show that PCL Civil Constructors would pay $8.1 million to businesses and $2.25 million to the permanent residents and renters on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Late last July, underwater electric transmission cables were inadvertently cut, prompting the mandatory evacuation of 50,000 visitors from the two Outer Banks islands.

The outage lasted from July 27 until Aug. 3. A class-action lawsuit filed within days said those on the islands suffered damages including financial loss, stress and anxiety.

PCL denied wrongdoing in the settlement documents. The settlement awaits final approval from a federal judge.