Friday, July 04, 2014

Happy Fourth of July!

Well, this will be an Independence Day to remember!

I finally got generator power and Internet access. By now this may be old news for many of our readers, but here is a recap of the last 18 hours:

I slept until about 3 am last night in spite of the powerful winds. At that time a bamboo sun screen on my porch worked loose and was banging and flapping against the railing. I was almost blown over trying to roll it up and tie it to the porch post. I know it had to be blowing at least 85 or 90 mph. This morning I learned that the highest winds recorded on Ocracoke were just over 100 miles an hour.

The most remarkable thing was that we had little or no tidal flooding in the village. I heard reports of a bit of damage to several roofs and a few boats, and a number of power poles blew down. So we have no municipal electricity right now. But I have not heard of any injuries or major damage.

The most noticeable effect of Hurricane Arthur was broken tree limbs and uprooted trees. Although Howard Street was impassable earlier today, David, Bill, Stefen, Eakin, and I cleared the road several hours ago.

Eakin (my grandson) has taken a number of photographs. I will share them later today...or maybe tomorrow. Right now I am on my way to help a neighbor cut up a tree that fell on her shed.

Many thanks to all of our readers for your concern for us on Ocracoke. We are happy to be well and relatively unscathed after this early summer storm.

11 comments:

  1. Jack and Toni Walls2:38 PM

    So glad to hear from you and know that you and the island we love fared well... Can't wait to be there in September!!

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  2. Vickie P2:39 PM

    Thankful to hear damage was manageable. Is Blanche safe?

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  3. Debbie Leonard2:53 PM

    I'm looking forward to the pictures.

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  4. Thank you so much for the update! Wishing you all a fast cleanup and a Happy 4th of July!!

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  5. Sundae Horn3:55 PM

    Happy 4th of July! Ocracoke is busy cleaning up after the hurricane, but tomorrow (July 5th) we will gather at 9am at the school flag circle for the annual (plus a day late) Flag Raising Ceremony. Come sing the anthem, celebrate Independence Day, and revel in that the flag is still here!

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  6. Glad to read all are well.

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  7. Anonymous5:28 PM

    see, we knew you'd all make it. In a month this will all be old news. remain safe.

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  8. Anonymous6:37 AM

    Thank you for letting us know that everyone is doing well. We were thinking of everyone down on Ocracoke & Hatteras Islands and feel relieved for all of you.

    -NJ Reader

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  9. Anonymous10:16 AM

    Philip, thanks for the update. Good to hear that there were no injuries and no serious damage. Stay safe!

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  10. Been following closely, glad no serious damage. Hope the lights get turned back on (full time!) soon. As always, you and yours are in my thoughts!

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