See the OBX power outage from space

OCRACOKE, N.C. — When a construction crew damaged transmission cables and knocked out power to Ocracoke and Hatteras islands on the Outer Banks, the effect on the ground was seen immediately.

In images taken by NASA before and after the outage, the night lights on the islands can be seen working one night and then out a few days later. The first photo was taken on July 27, before the outage, and the second was taken on July 30, just after the power went out.

NASA said a similar scene unfolded after Hurricane Matthew scraped its way up the East Coast in October.

Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative on Wednesday estimated it would take three to five days to restore full power to the islands.