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Editing a Storm

Now that the storm is over, the memory lingers. Many of us have images to refreshen those memories. Some of my favorites have already been published on this blog. But I have a few more to share.

At one point, during the fury of the storm the sun popped out for a little while. The seas were building and the water was swirling across the shore. Walking the area of Mirlo Beach, I could see that this was just getting more intense. I can't explain taking pictures in this situation. It's almost as though another sense kicks in. I'm surrounded by vibrant, visual energy, and I have to enclose portions of that in the viewfinder. Some shots, I know have impact as they are taken, but many come as surprises, later in the editing process.

NCDOT to the Rescue........ again

Yesterday the 15th of November, one day after the storm wiped out a portion of highway 12 at the S-Curve, North Carolina Department of Transportation officials began work to reconstruct the main road coming into north Rodanthe. They are working to build back the berm that was washed away. What they are going to do about resurfacing the road is another matter. In the meantime, only 4-wheel drive traffic is allowed to transit on a temporary sand road west of the affected area. This is in effect only during daytime hours.

This morning, I looked out my upstairs window over the Pamlico Sound to see the NCDOT ferry "Stanford White" heading to Rodanthe. Once I arrived on the scene, I learned that the ferry operations would begin tomorrow carrying mainly commercial traffic and other vehicles between the Stumpy Point ferry terminal and Rodanthe. This is not an official notice, however, just what I was hearing at the time. It could be rumor. It could be fact. So far I see no notice about it on NCDOT or Dare County web sites.

 

The new Rodanthe ferry service has had a few test runs in the past, but never truly implemented.

Salvo native, Richie Austin is pleased about the prospects.

Jack Cahoon, the present ferry operations director was personally on hand to help smooth out the transition. Locals here have known for some time that this day was coming. It was just a matter of when.

November Northeaster

One of the things that originally attracted me to Hatteras Island was the raw nature of the place. As the son of a meteorologist, I must have had this fascination ingrained in me. Dynamic weather conditions have shaped the Outer Banks for centuries, and this recent northeaster was a prime example. 

Forecasters had this one pegged pretty well. There was ample time to prepare, but for those with real estate interests on the Rodanthe oceanfront, all the preparation in the world could not hold back the force of the sea. 

I've photographed this particular location during storms for decades, and the coastline here has one of the highest erosion rates on the North Carolina coast. The ocean has chipped away storm after storm, year after year. In that time, people have chosen to build dream homes by the sea. Many have fallen victim to the waves, and many linger close by.

  

Looking north toward Mirlo Beach.

Serendipity on the north end of town, holding on.

Highway 12 at Mirlo Beach facing north.

The infamous S-Curve

The S-Curve 2 days earlier.

The S-curve one week ago.

Remnants of the S-Curve

This time the raging sea not only threatened beach houses, but it took a portion of our only roadway connecting us to the mainland. The State of North Carolina has spent millions of dollars trying to keep highway 12 intact. In a couple of spots, NC12 has had to be relocated to the west as previous roadways succumb to the sea. The S-Curve has been moved 3 times since I've lived here, but now it's running out of room.

Stay tuned for further developments!