<span style="color: #000000;"><b>By Mike McCombs</b></span>

<span style="color: #000000;">According to Hunting Island State Park’s official Twitter account, the park will remain closed through at least </span><span style="color: #000000;">the close of business Thurs</span><span style="color: #000000;">day, July </span><span style="color: #000000;">23</span><span style="color: #000000;">.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">The park was initially closed during the day Tuesday, July 7, when the island got 8 inches of rain. </span><span style="color: #000000;">Between July 7 and</span><span style="color: #000000;"> Wednesday, </span><span style="color: #000000;">July 8, </span><span style="color: #000000;">Hunting Island received 12.75 inches of rain. </span><span style="color: #000000;">The majority of the park’s roads </span><span style="color: #000000;">were</span><span style="color: #000000;"> submerged.</span>

“Pumping continues, but we still have lots of roads submerged,” Park Manager J.W. Weatherford tweeted Sunday. “Your safely entering and exiting the park is our number one concern.”

<span style="color: #000000;">As The Island News reported last week</span><span style="color: #000000;">, the campground remains open. Weatherford said </span><span style="color: #000000;">then </span><span style="color: #000000;">that “campers with reservations will continue to be allowed into the campground.”</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">W</span><span style="color: #000000;">eatherford also gave an update Sunday on the Hunting Island fishing pier, closed since suffering damage during </span><span style="color: #000000;">Hurricane Matthew in 2016</span><span style="color: #000000;">.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">“We do hope for an opening this year, but </span><span style="color: #000000;">(it) </span><span style="color: #000000;">likely could be a spring opening,” </span><span style="color: #000000;">he tweeted.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">For the latest and most accurate information about Hunting Island State Park, visit the park’s official Twitter account @HuntingIslandSP.</span>
<p align="right"><span style="color: #000000;"><i>Mike McCombs is the editor of The Island News and can be reached at <a href="mailto:TheIslandNews@gmail.com">TheIslandNews@gmail.com</a>.</i></span></p>