WINTON – Damage estimates from last week’s massive rainstorm are being assessed in Hertford County.

In the meantime, local officials will end a County State of Emergency effective at 8:30 a.m. today (Tuesday).

There remains isolated road closures in Hertford County, most particularly Swain’s Mill Road (Harrellsville area) and Buckhorn Road (Como area).

All major routes in the county are now open, including the Monday opening of NC 561 East (between Ahoskie and Harrellsville) and NC 45 at the Wiccacon River bridge near Harrellsville). For an updated list, visit www.ncdot.org and click on the Traveler Information icon.

Hertford County Public Schools will reopen today on a one-hour delay.

Chris Smith, Hertford County Emergency Management Director, is scheduled to meet today with assessment teams from the state in an effort to learn the total damage (in dollars) to the county.

“We’ll learn Tuesday where we need to go from here,” Smith said. “We are now in recovery mode and topping that list is to line-up the resources to get our citizens the help they need.”

Today’s countywide assessment will include an estimate on the loss of agricultural crops.

“The great thing in all of this is that we did not suffer any loss of life or suffer any major injuries to the citizens of Hertford County,” Smith stressed. “We can fix a road, we can repair a damaged home or building, but we can’t bring someone back to life.”

Smith also defended the decision made by county leaders to enact a State of Emergency on Sept. 30. He especially addressed the (7 p.m. – 7 a.m.) curfew that was part of that emergency ordinance.

“We needed to do everything in our power to keep people out of harm’s way,” Smith noted. Driving at night with the water as high as it was, it scared me to think that someone’s life would be put in jeopardy.”