More Storm Reporting

We're now getting patches of sunshine and it's a warm, muggy 70 degrees.

Tommy at the Variety Store reports that the food delivery and newspaper trucks got through so Highway 12 is open.

Dale reports that he had about 3.3 inches in his rain gauge at midnight; we've had a lot more since then. He says there was some minor over-wash at the north end, but it's already cleared up. This afternoon's high tide (around 4) could be trouble here and to the North, but so far no reports of major damage to the Outer Banks.

I drove out to the beach. The new bike path along the ocean-side of highway 12 was completely under water (rain, not ocean water) and in places only one lane of the highway was "dry". Several people had gathered at the beach to check out the conditions. I believe you would call this "an angry sea" with big waves breaking not just near shore but for several hundred yards out. The receding tide had left pools of water at the base of the dunes.

Our power outage last night was not due to anything on Ocracoke. Our power comes all the way down the Outer Banks from Virginia. The problem was somewhere north of here.

Bottom line: so far Ocracoke has been spared the brunt of this storm for which we are very thankful. We'll settle for the annoyance of deep puddles in our roads. Our thoughts are with you folks to the north where the conditions seem to be worse.

(I asked about mail delivery today and was told our postal workers will go to the ferry to meet the truck so it won't have to hang around here and risk not getting back to Hatteras. And since they'll be picking up two days worth, don't expect it all to be in the boxes until after 4:00.)

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a transcript of a letter written in 1949 by a visitor to the island. You can read the letter (which provides a glimpse into Ocracoke life sixty years ago) here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news102509.htm.