Scout Master Ivey Belch told me his anemometer recorded gusts as high as 115 mph during the storm.
Right now we have electrical power in our neighborhood. Power is being rotated around the village, and Tideland Electric Company is hoping to restore power to the entire village sometime tomorrow.
Below are a few photos taken by my grandson, Eakin Howard, and below that is the latest Post-hurricane Advisory.
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| Howard Street Block by Downed Limbs |
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| One of Many Casualties |
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| Limbs on an Outbuilding |
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| Several Trees were Uprooted |
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| Another Tree Uprooted |
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| David on the Roof with Chainsaw |
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| The Limb Comes Down |
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| Wilma Lee Sustains a Broken Boom |
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| A Few Shingles Blown Away |
POST HURRICANE ARTHUR ADVISORY #8
July 4, 2014 8:00 p.m.
Information About Electricity, Water, Waste, and Ferries for Ocracoke Island
Hyde County officials have declared a curfew for Ocracoke Island between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. each day until power is fully restored.
Electricity: Tideland EMC's Ocracoke generator is currently operating. If electric load remains low enough for Tideland's generator expect 2 hours on and 4 hours off for one full cycle. After that expect 3 hours on and 6 hours off until full power is restored Sunday night. The generator WILL NOT WORK unless every resident and visitor on Ocracoke practices strict conservation. Please turn off all non-essential breakers including water heaters and air conditioning. Limit electric demand to refrigeration and fans ONLY. Ocracoke residents and guests, please do not become complacent about electrical loads while we rely on generator power. If electric loads exceed generator operating capacity we will have to begin the process all over again.
Water: The Ocracoke water plant is operating on generator power. Please be conservative with water usage until full power is restored. Trash and Storm Debris: Trash trucks are expected to arrive on Ocracoke tomorrow Saturday, July 5th to replenish dumpsters at the Ocracoke waste facility. They expect to accept household waste around lunchtime, however space will be limited as the trash compactors cannot operate without electricity. Chipping will begin Monday morning and continue until no longer needed. Anything smaller than 6 inches in diameter can be chipped on site. Anything larger than 6 inches in diameter cannot be chipped and will need to be disposed of at the solid waste site.
Access To and From Ocracoke: Ferry tolls for departures from Ocracoke are still waived and any remaining visitors are strongly encouraged to leave the Island. Visitor access to Ocracoke will be restricted until further notice. The Swan Quarter and Cedar Island ferries will operate on their normal schedule. The Hatteras ferry will operate on demand. Visit NCDOT.gov/ferry for the most recent information. Access to Ocracoke Island today Friday, July 4, 2014 is strictly limited to emergency and infrastructure personnel. In addition to emergency and infrastructure personnel, residents and property owners will also be granted re-entry Saturday, July 5, 2014 if they can produce any of the following documents: Unexpired Ocracoke re-entry hangtag from Hyde County (any color) Expired Ocracoke re-entry hangtag or sticker from Hyde County (any color) North Carolina Drivers License with Ocracoke listed as residence Documentation with proof of owning property on Ocracoke (ie: tax record)
My thoughts and prayers have been with everyone up there. Glad there was no loss of life and no injuries. I keep you all in my hearts, as I know that a lot of the folks up there rely on tourism for their livelihood, and that the loss of tourists for a major holiday weekend will take a big chunk out of their incomes. The important thing is that everyone is safe and no major damage to the area.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the updates. I have a stupid question. When a large tree is blown over, with the root bed exposed, is it possible to use a truck or equipment and set it back up? Would the tree have a chance of living after such an event? Just curious. I figure it is NOT possible, but just wondered. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad everyone is OK, but it breaks my heart to see the Wilma Jean's broken boom and shredded sail. I was looking forward to seeing her and hoping to sail on her this coming week. We'll have to see what we can do to support the repair effort.
ReplyDeleteOops... Meant to write Wilma Lee. I don't know WHO Wilma Jean is!
DeleteI share TreeLover's "stupid question." I've trimmed the upper branches of a tree similarly felled until the weight of the root ball fell back into position, pulling the remaining tree upright, but it wasn't a pretty picture. Looking at that magnificent tree heeled over on Ocracoke, I was wondering whether someone might try saving it by hoisting it back into position or whether its likely to become fire wood. And reading the photo captions just now, I see that "IS" the Wilma Lee. So sorry to see that. (On second thought, in terms of necessity being the mother of invention, perhaps the fallen tree might be used to replace the Wilma Lee's broken boom.)
ReplyDeletePhilip: My family and I rode out a Thanksgiving Day Nor'easter on Ocracoke about six or seven years ago, and that was adventure enough for me. I can't imagine 115-mph winds. In hindsight, I seem to recall that plugging my ears and sleeping seemed the best way to pass that endless time waiting for the storm to break, and that was with winds topping out probably around just 60+ mph. Does that prescription fit when the winds are wailing over 100?
In any case, glad to see the island and its residents came through "comparatively" unscathed.
I wrote about uprooted trees on a July 6 post...with photos.
DeleteSome people can sleep through a hurricane, others are up all night. How much the house trembles, and past experience with storms, often determine the response. I fall in between.