RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Vacationers turned away by an island power outage say they’ve gotten few answers about whether they’ll get back money they spent on canceled or interrupted trips.
The outage caused by a construction accident forced an estimated 50,000 visitors to leave Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, and others never made it to the popular vacation spots because of evacuation orders that are still in place. Utility officials are hoping to have power restored by the weekend, but that will be too late to salvage many vacations.
“I do hope that we’re refunded. We did not step one single foot onto the island,” said Tianna Lee, who was traveling from Connecticut on Saturday when she heard about the evacuation for Hatteras Island. She said she hasn’t gotten an answer about whether her family can recoup the $1,700 they spent to rent a beachfront condo for this week.
Scores of vacationers like her are now navigating the sometimes confusing process of seeking repayment for lost travel expenses. Some are filing claims with travel insurance companies, while others are seeking refunds from the property owners. Travel insurance plans vary, and many don’t cover man-made disasters.
Local business owners are upset, too, and filed at least three lawsuits against PCL Construction, the company that damaged the underground power lines on July 27 while working on a new bridge between islands. The lawsuits, which are seeking class-action status, argue the company’s workers failed to take proper precautions to ensure its work didn’t financially harm nearby businesses. One of the lawsuits includes a vacationer as a plaintiff.