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With the state-owned road practically washed away, county crews probably would not be able to respond to an emergency in a reasonable amount of time, said County Council Chairman Weston Newton.
Leaseholders on Cabin Road were sent certified letters notifying them of the evacuation order. No one will be forcibly removed from their cabin, but those who ignore the order are risking their safety, Newton said.
"That evacuation order puts those occupants on notice that ... we have those challenges and we cannot provide the level of emergency service that otherwise would be necessary," said Newton, who signed the order Wednesday. "It's an unfortunate step that we have to take."
County emergency management staff implored council members to issue the order after a house -- still connected to utilities -- fell into the ocean last week along Cabin Road, Newton said. Other homes are threatened by advancing water.
Emergency management director William Winn gave a presentation on the erosion during a Tuesday meeting of the council Public Safety Committee. A majority of council members then voted to issue a resolution supporting the evacuation order.
"It was their recommendation that we -- in order to protect people and in order to protect the county from any litigation, as well -- needed to do something and we really needed to do it urgently," said Councilman Jerry Stewart, chairman of the safety committee. "They did not feel we really had the time to wait."
But Bernie Kole, a county resident who leases a house on Cabin Road, isn't convinced the danger is imminent. He received the letter about the order Friday afternoon and immediately called his attorney.
"I never saw that one coming," said Kole, who has no plans to evacuate his cabin.
