We've been offline since Sat evening - around the time the eye passed over us. First the cable-phone-internet went out, then the power - and sometime during the night the cell phones, too. Generator kicked on and ran faithfully for 48 hours, before the power came back. It's weird what is/isn't powered by the generator. We'll be tweaking that in a month or so. It'll take that long for the service crews to get to everyone and take care of all the issues... and rest. Water pressure dropped since Kitty Hawk shut down water to folks east of the bypass (US 158) but never went completely out here.
Other folks down here have lost everything. Beach road, one can hardly tell there was a hurricane... and usually it's the hardest hit area. This storm, it was the west side folks, Hatteras & Ocracoke and Manteo and mainland that suffer the worst. Colington Harbor is still underwater and the west side of Kitty Hawk - and our little pirate enclave - is STILL underwater. The cable just came back up a couple hours ago. Before we lost power, I saw video that there was 5 ft of water over the causeway to Manteo @ Whalebone Jct. That's when I went out to look at our creek - it was still 4-6 ft below it's normal level. A couple hours later, called Hubs outside to look... because it looked like the creek was going to flood over our bulkhead. I called my neighbor on her cell... and we went to bed.
The ONLY communication with the outside world we've had is radio. One station is manned 24/7 during storms and aftermath to try to get accurate info out to people who might not have any other way to know when help is expected, where to call if they can, and what the officials are deciding. I've also heard ABC news is the only network still covering the weeks worth of work and helping out our neighbors that we have ahead of us... if anyone is looking. There are lots of websites too -
www.obxconnection.com is usually full of locals, so it'll have better info.
Everyone I see and talk to is exhausted. Sleep has been a scarce commodity because, the storm started Fri. night... and it wasn't "over" until Sunday morning for us. Sat was the worst wind - it shifted from east to west and got stronger and drove the previously driven water (plus 10+ inches of rain) BACK at our western coast. Like a mini-slower moving - tsunami.
Yet - Monday a.m. the dentist called to move my appt up to 11 from a late afternoon time and everyone was there. I saw the guy who services my generator and he stopped to chat, tell me he was glad we stayed and to call him if the power wasn't on yesterday so he could change the oil. He asked if we'd seen him & his wife stop by to check on it Sat/Sun night - I didn't and didn't expect him to do that. We went out today to Walmart and the grocery store - and at 10 am the road was backed up from Duck Rd to as far as we could see over the bridge and while stuck in traffic, we chatted with someone who evacuated Hatteras, by staying in our neck of the woods and is still waiting to be allowed back to his house and business. Visitors are being allowed in for their Labor Day Weekends - even tho' the waitresses, housecleaners, pool service people and cashiers - probably have to stop at a shelter to take a shower or the Salvation Army location for a hot meal. There are people with holes in their roofs, or on top of cars... no power or water... who are having to go to work so that these other people can have their "perfect" beach vacation. SOME of those tourists are actually volunteering to help out... and are being extremely considerate. People are talking to complete strangers in parking lots... kindly and humorously.
People who suffered here are desperately trying to get help and supplies and power to Hatteras and Ocracoke... despite the traffic and the official "rules" about entry; most by boat. And the locals & visitors are showing the most incredible compassionate - and self-sufficient - sides of themselves. (and YES, there have been people who were so irate and mean to waitstaff about not having everything on the menu in inventory... that the poor girls wound up taking a break to go cry... SIGH... wish we had an N-checkpoint across the bridge that would not allow "that kind" entry, until we've really recovered. They're awful enough then.)
We've been takin' care of ourselves and our mess - and checking on neighbors. I've had a bum ankle for a month or so... so have to pace myself. Now Hubs just twisted his... so while I can see myself cooking and serving hot meals... I'm letting others more fit and younger have a go at it - and trying not to NEED help, ourselves.
But, we're fine... it was scary Sat night for sure... and while only a Cat 1, it was extremely unusual for a Cat 1. Another storm will be completely different. And we know now, what we need to change and do... before the next one.
More later - even I've missed the TV!! Hubs has had information tech withdrawal symptoms and just isn't into the manual labor that dealing with our mess requires... at least, not yet. I haven't been into it either - but have known it's better for me to something productive rather than just sit around and fret.
