ORCAS ISLAND, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – San Juan County has declared a state of emergency over vehicle restrictions at the Orcas Island ferry terminal.

The county said in their declaration that the restrictions are severely limiting access of goods and services to the island.

Washington State Ferries (WSF) announced on Monday, Nov. 9, that they’re not allowing any vehicles longer than 22 ft or heavier than 8,000 pounds at the terminal after an inspection found cracks in the support beams.

WSF later announced that it could be up to two weeks before repairs are completed.

Island residents depend on truck and freight shipments for groceries, medications and waste removal, among other critical services.

But San Juan County councilmember and Orcas Island resident Justin Paulsen says the community’s spirits are still high.

“The status on the island right now is actually pretty good,” Paulsen said in a phone call. “We are still able to move commuter vehicles on and off the island, which is a major plus.”

The restrictions are forcing the community to adapt, with residents being asked to hold their garbage for an extra few days. Medication shipments are now coming through the air and UPS is delivering packages via “a fleet of vans” instead of their larger trucks.

Meanwhile, the Orcas Island Market, the island’s largest grocery store, received a 22,000-pound shipment of groceires via barge on Wednesday night.

WSF has created a web page that includes the latest information and updates surrounding the ferry terminal.

“The immediate response from state officials was very swift,” Paulsen said. “They have confirmed for us that this is priority one for the departemnt of transportation and Washington State Ferries. They’re routing the resources necessary to get this done and they’ve assured us that those resources are there.”

After everything settles down, Paulsen says they intend to figure out what went wrong with the terminal in the first place.

He’s lived in San Juan County since 2003 and says the last time he remembers something like this happening was in 1999, when the ferry Elwha damaged the dock, completely cutting off Orcas Island for three months.

“In relation to that, this one feels fortunate,” Paulsen said. “We’ve got a lot of folks on the island that predate that time and let’s just say there’s a lot of good stories of what happend in the past floating around the island these days.”