Saturday, May 07, 2005

The Great Storm is Over

It's breezy today....and sunny. What a contrast to yesterday! Wind and rain pummeled the island on Friday from morning until late at night. High tides added to the already standing water. Tide water on Howard Street stood a foot and a half deep in some yards. Wind gusts were reported at 90 mph. Power was out for a while. Debris of all sorts floated down the roads. It was a classic Nor'easter.

Of course, no ferries made trips to the mainland, or even to Hatteras. The National Park Service closed the beaches yesterday and Ocracoke's 22nd annual fishing tournament was canceled for Friday. To add to the drama, a rental house caught fire and burned through the roof. High winds hampered firefighters, but the torrential rains kept everything wet.

We're drying out this weekend, hoping for a respite from this severe weather.

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4 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:04 PM

    Oh great, please tell us the name of the rental house that burned. I am due to come down soon! I don't want to worry about that!

    Thanks for the great weblog. We enjoy reading it EVERYDAY! You have the perfect mix of articles. I appreciate so much that you work so hard to preserve the island and its heritage, yet remain so very kind and welcoming to visitors that enjoy your island so much. People like you are what make Ocracoke such a great place.

    Now, please tell me my rental didn't burn down!

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  2. Anonymous11:39 AM

    Yep, I'm worried about my rental too...

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  3. Anonymous9:45 PM

    Oh my! I was visiting the island with friends and didn't even know that there was a fire!! Thank goodness no one was injured!! To all who are coming to visit- I hope that you enjoy your stay as much as we did. If you get a chance, make sure to participate in Philip's ghost walk...Great fun and lots of good stories...Judy

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  4. Anonymous5:56 PM

    I was there that week too, and also on the ghost walk, hi Judy, it was a crazy night, and we were just up the road from the house that burned. That night was one of the most awe inspiring feats of nature I had ever seen, and I have seen blizzards of 2+ feet of snow... at least snow stays outside the house. Ocracoke is truly amazing, as long as you don't bring expectations. See you again soon Phillip, thanks for a bunch of great stories.

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