the beach on the sound side during Ophelia 

The sound during Ophelia, this is the barrier Islands at work. While its victory at sea on the ocean side the sound is relatively calm

 

again the ocean 

the ocean thanks to Ophelia 

the flowers love the storm 

my street 

Well its been awhile, been caught up in the everyday activities that seem to never end but hurricane Ophelia brings me back to the word processor.

Things in Kill Devil Hills aren�t that bad. Take a look at the Weather Channel and check out Jim Cantory. I am located on the part of the Outer Banks he is covering. The weather we are getting at this time is no worse than a winter storm. Once the storm gets a little further up the coast we should start seeing a little more wind and rain and possible some flooding. I do feel for the folks south of me, they are getting pounded.

 

A photo can say much. It can say that it's a nice day with a few pinkish-purple clouds on the horizon. What a picture can't tell you is how the wind feels on my skin or how the rustling trees or the singing birds sound, it can't express the smell of the air. Today is a beautiful Labor day on the Outer Banks. Today is the first day of the fall season. The visitors will be thinning out, the traffic will become less hectic, the temperature more tolerable. Labor day marks the beginning of my favorite time of year on the Outer Banks.

This has been one hell of a week. Katrina hitting the gulf coast hit close to home with me, luckily my siblings evacuated the areas they lived in and all are safe.

*My brother and his wife are unsure of the state of their property they live in Jefferson parish just south of New Orleans and own a camp near Myrtle Grove, La. They have no ideal what is going on near their home, there have been mixed reports, it’s either there or not they won’t know until they are able to get back. The house in Myrtle Grove is most likely gone. They may have very little left of 25 years of hard work. These people are the American dream. My brother came from a dirt poor family and his wife came from a middle class family. He is an electrician and she is a hair stylist. No one gave them anything, their family’s could not afford too, everything they had they worked for. I feel bad for them and wish them the best.

My sisters are fine. My sister who lived in Biloxi had only just move there and owned no property she will be fine. I don’t think she knows where she is going but she has always been a roamer at heart. My sister in Pensacola had no damage at all.

Because of the hurricane I’m having trouble getting in touch with folks down there, as I have said in e-mails call me if your hear anything and I will be in touch if I hear anything!

*I’ve been trying not to comment on the behavior of some of the folks who live in NO. I will say this much: there is no way when something like this happens that emergency folks or the government can be expected to be there the next hour or the next day. I live on the coast and the powers that be clearly say that if you stay you must accept responsibility for yourself and your family. It is understood that EMS will not go into an unsafe environment. It is understood that it may be days before you can expect food and water deliveries. I saw one comment from FEMA that said they did not expect the lawlessness that transpired in New Orleans. People, no matter how poor, have to accept responsibility for their actions. I hope the folks that were seen looting TV’s and jewelry are arrested. There is a law down there that says you can’t do that! I hope we all learn from this. My god it’s the “War of the Worlds” movie in real life!! Well that’s my soap box and I’m getting off of it now.

* Another piece of bad news Chief Justice William Rehnquist has died. I was rooting for him. He will be missed.

I heard from my sister-in-law last night, she and my brother are fine. They are in Mississippi, have no electricity and no supplies but thanks to a friend they have a roof over their heads and thanks to perfect strangers something to eat. They were starved for information about what was going on near where they lived and thanks to technology I was able to look up what was available on the internet and relay the information to her over the phone. It will be a while before they are able to return home. My sister-in-law said if all is gone they won’t be staying. After 25 years in the New Orleans area the storms may have won.