The OBX was nice; the hurricane damage was not.

[Anonymous]

Specifically, Nags Head.


I was in Nags Head last October. I was with a group of peeps at the beach houses at 6901 and 6903 S. Va Dare.

Then I went to Nags Head again this past weekend. I was staying at 116 Sea Spray Ct., at Mile Marker 14.5.

What Isabel did to Nags Head was not good. Sure, Isabel was no Andrew, but Nags Head has a lot of rebuilding to do. I talked to Ocean Rescue there. They told me Isabel's storm surge at Jennette Pier was 9 feet. Most of Jennette Pier is gone. Waves from Isabel were so high that they crashed down on the Jennette Pier. Isabel's storm surge and waves eroded the dunes so badly that the dune front has been pushed back 30 to 60 feet. Nearly every beach access staircase had been washed away. A few had been rebuilt. I saw a couple buildings right on the beach that were collapsed. What I personally saw there has left me shocked and even disturbed. I hope the Outer Banks never gets another hurricane. There was overwash in a few places. I saw sand all over the place on the roads. I walked along the roads there and there were piles of discarded trash, furniture, washers, dryers, all kinds of stuff piled higher than I was tall.

Last October when I visited Nags Head, I stayed at 6901 S. Va Dare. This is in the 15.5 Mile marker area. Those are some nice beach houses. They have a hot tub on their 3rd-floor balcony, though last year the hot tub was on the 2nd floor balcony. In back of the beach house, there was an in-ground pool with a 3 foot wall around it. Behind the pool and its enclosure, there had been a big 10 foot dune about 20, maybe 30 feet wide. There was a wooden staircase that led up over the dune to a deck with a wooden bench on it, then there was a wooden staircase leading down to the beach. The beach was actually about 5 feet below the bottom of the stairs.

Isabel did a number to that property. First the hurricane had generated a 7 to 9 foot storm surge, with waves. The waves ate through the big dune, utterly destroying the stairway and deck in the process. Once the waves eroded the dune, they smashed through the wall enclosing the pool. The wall as well as the concrete pool deck were undercut by the storm surge and waves. The pool was full of dirty sand and yucky water. Man, I swam in that pool last October. I remember it well. I stood there last Saturday evening (actually it was early Sunday morning at 130AM) and looked at it. Isabel really trashed the pool. I can still recall shoveling sand off of the walkway leading to the wood staircase over the dune. That was such a sweet pool and dune, and we kicked back on that deck!!

Not anymore. Not after Isabel.

I used to think seeing hurricane damage would be interesting.

It was too much for me. The hurricane destroyed the pool where me and all my wonderful Christian friends had so many nice tender moments, where we had laughed and had laid down in the warm Outer Banks sunshine. The nice deck where I had excitedly walked up and down the wooden stairs is gone forever. When I saw it, my eyes filled with tears and I felt like it was September 11 all over again. Now I can't stand hurricanes. I loved that dune so much!!!! Now its gone, all gone. I stood there and I could remember what it looked like. But there is nothing there but broken concrete and a few short posts sticking forlornly out of the dirty sand. The beach house is still there and is being fixed up, but the nice warm blue pool and deck where I had such wonderful times with my friends is gone forever.

I couldn't help it. I stood there in the dark at 2am and cried for all the people who had lost their homes. I cried for all the people who own beach houses that they keep in good shape for vacationers to rent. I cried for the two buildings that were collapsed. I cried for all the residents of the OBX that now have to rebuild and face a hard, cold winter.

I thought that seeing the OBX after a hurricane would be interesting.

But its not. Oh its not. Its horrible. My precious little vacation spot got all messed up by Isabel. Where I had happily run last October on the beach, laughing and playing frisbee with my friends, was all strewn with rocks, debris, even broken mirrors that I almost stepped on Saturday night!! There were pieces of lumber with nails sticking out of them.

These storms are not good. They tear up homes and pools. It is a nice thing to go to a place like the Outer Banks, relax and have a wonderful, rollicking time with your friends in the pool and on the deck and to breathe in fresh sea air and have many nice tender memories. But its like a part of my heart was torn out when this place that was the center of so many happy memories was all wrecked up like this. It hit me personally. Some of my friends had warned me that I might not like what I find. My precious dune was all gone. The Weather Channel glamorizes these canes so much, but they are not fun. They smash up fine summer homes so badly. There was nothing good about that Isabel. I had so many nice times with my friends on that deck. We ran up and down on the stairs and we had the Ultimate frisbee game, between the deck and the beach and the pool. We laughed ourselves silly last October, we had such a great time!

Then Isabel came and blew it. Isabel blew it all to heck. Thank God the beach house only had light damage. But our precious sand dune and deck was wiped out. Now there is only a jumble of junk and dirty black sand left where I had such a wonderful time.

Then I trudged back to where we spent this holiday, a mile up the beach. We stayed at an even better beach house over at the Sea Spray Ct this past weekend. The deck there was not washed out, but the wooden beach access was. We soon found another way to the beach.

Yeah some of my friends took one look at my sad face and said, "See Jeb, you should have listened to us. " I just flopped down on the couch and hung my head. I muttered something about "that d#$n hurricane" and everyone immediately started cheering me up. Yeah we had a good time!! We are already planning to stay a whole week next October!!!

But there better be no hurricanes.

I just hope and hope for no more hurricanes on the Outer Banks for a few years.

Believe me, I am all Hurricaned out. The Outer Banks are too. And I sorrow over my old OBX dune, deck and pool.

May all the hurricanes be big fishes through 2010. I only want to be able to enjoy the OBX, without having to look out for sand-filled pools, missing sand dunes, splintered decks and damaged wooden beach access stairways. Not to mention sharp rocks, boards with nails, and shards of broken mirrors and glass hidden just under the sand on the beach. I had to wear my shoes on the beach!!! Gosh!!


-Jeb

[SolakNC]

Nice to know you appreciate this little spit of land some of us call home. What you saw was almost a month after Isabel... Imagine what it looked like before the cleanup started? And how about that stretch of missing houses in Kitty Hawk? Or the flatness of Jocky's Ridge, which now looks like a big mound. Storms have always shaped these islands, and will continue to do so, regardless of how we try to 'protect' them. I hope your next visit will be of the same memories you have from years gone by.

[Ginx snewx]

I truly feel sorry for your intense emotional reaction however please keep this in mind. Barrier beaches are NOT meant to be built on, they migrate, change shape and are overwashed with regularity. Although I feel sorry for those who have taken a chance I think they are foolish, those who build these lavish structures should understand that at any moment the sands of time will catch up with them. This storm was bad but imagine a Cat 3 up the East Coast and all the houses built right on the beach, man never wins versus nature and people and governments need to realize the folly of structures on Barrier beaches.

[george_r_1961]

Well Ocracoke Island is once again open to visitors but dont even think of getting there using the Hatteras Ferry. Highway 12 on Hatteras and on the northern end of Ocracoke was vitually destroyed. It is my understanding, although I did not hear this from official sources, that the ferry docks on the northern end of Ocracoke were heavily damaged or destroyed. To get to Ocracoke one must use one of two TOLL ferries...running out of Cedar Island and Swan Quarter. As for Ocracoke Village, damage was minimal. But the economic impact caused by the island being closed to tourists could be more devastating than the hurricane itself. Ocracoke has been my favorite getaway for several years now; yes ive eaten many a fine meal at Howards Pub LOL and am acquainted with several island residents. Hopefully things will be back to normal there soon.

[caribepr]

Growing up in Fla and now living a long time on various islands in the Caribbean...yeah, it is sad to see things change for those who visit on holiday. Try living there. If you love it that much (and I'm not being snide, really) consider ways to help make it back to the good place you love to enjoy once or more a year.
Nature happens, and those who live year round in the places Nature loves to toy with most see things a bit differently...they can't go away from devastation, and have to deal with it, sometimes for years in the future. So lend a hand! Because there WILL be another Isabel...and Fabian...and Andrew....and whatever hurricane/storm hit you worst...(as someone told me recently over losing a friend - rather than regret your personal loss, be glad you got to know this person -place- when you did...and learn how to follow in those steps).

[abajan]

Barrier beaches are NOT meant to be built on, they migrate, change shape and are overwashed with regularity. Although I feel sorry for those who have taken a chance I think they are foolish, those who build these lavish structures should understand that at any moment the sands of time will catch up with them.

Isn't it written in a parable that the foolish man built his house on sand? Hmmm...

However, I feel his pain at seeing the devastation around a place that holds such wonderful memories.