NCsaltaire

Hanna – Not your typical Nor’easter

September 7, 2008 at 2:45 am Leave a comment

We spent Friday afternoon securing the house and yard for the approaching storm. With Hanna teetering just below hurricane status, we were worried a complete lock down was an over kill.  Living within ear shot of the ocean, we weren’t going to take any chances at which level of intensity or impact Mother Nature would throw at us. We locked her down anyway.

Friday evening, the first mate and I went out on a picture taking mission.  The last time we went out the night before a storm, Hurricane Isabel took direct aim at our shore and destroyed many things including the Kitty Hawk pier. I had confidence that we would not have a repeat performance, but we weren’t taking any chances.  We wanted memories of the island.

 First light on Saturday brought a mild morning.  A light breeze and cloudy skies early turned ugly and raw within an hour.  With our rain gear in tow, we ventured to the ocean front to see the storm. Winds topped 30 miles per hour, gusting to 45 with the ocean waves crashing into the beach up to twelve feet. The rain was torrential. The wind and waves shook the beach and our truck. It was all we could do to hold our vehicle on the road. We spent most of the day just touring the island and the exploring this weather phenomenon.

At noon the rain had stopped, but the wind continued.  And with the help of the incoming high tide, the south wind began to push the water up into back bays and canals. By mid afternoon, the waters had breached our bulkhead, over washed our dock and poured into the yard.  Fortunately, the winds began to subside and the water receded just before dusk.  The news reported the storm was well on her way to New England.

We surveyed our home and found only minor limbs and debris.  A quick clean up was all we needed. We survived another brush with nature’s fury.

Entry filed under: Places.