"She's blowin', she is!" a note about nor'easters

There is a lot of conversation about wind here on the Outer Banks. The strength and direction of the wind shapes the tide and the goings on for the day. A shift in the wind literally changes the life agenda on the beach, determining whether it is a good day to go fishing, which work gets done when, if the ocean is safe for swimming, or if it is a day to be spent tucked in at home. In any case, it is always a good idea to have a sweatshirt and a cap in the truck, because what feels like a comfortable breeze in Kitty Hawk could be a chilly wind out on the beach.

Jan DeBlieu, a long time Outer Banks resident who became the Cape Hatteras Coastkeeper in 2003, wrote a remarkable book about this force that keeps us always in touch with the weather. Wind: How the Flow of Air Has Shaped Life, Myth & the Land, is a wonderfully well-told story of both the art and the science of living with wind. Reading it, I am reminded of how nature’s elements often have many layers, each with its own set of influences over the way everyday life moves from morning into night.

When people hear that Vince and I are planning to live in North Swan Beach where there is no road and only the beach to use as a pathway, we are often asked what happens when the water is high and driving on the beach is impossible. The answer is simple, “We don’t go.” The truth is that with the right truck, it takes a lot not to be able to get back and forth if it is really important, but OBX common sense tells folks that risking the drive for ordinary things that will be the same tomorrow as today just isn’t worth it. If you want your vehicle to last, don’t drive it through salt water.

This season’s batch of early fall nor’easters has caused some delays for the house, with the first storm near the end of September blowing enough sand to cover the lumber piles on the job site, removing a lot of sand from under the house, and turning the road behind our house into a river. It seems that October has been one nor’easter after another, with many days of high surf advisories limiting the time the workers be up the beach and get safely back to the road. For us, it has been a bit frustrating and inconvenient, but we have had no actual damage. For the folks to the south in Rodanthe, the winds and the high water have brought situations that have been much more serious. A nor’easter is not something to be taken lightly, sometimes causing more damage than a hurricane largely because of the tenacity and duration of the storms. To live on the Outer Banks, the wind and whatever it brings must be accepted with patience and being prepared to hunker down for a few days at home.

Here is a little video that was posted on You Tube in September by neighbors just north of us, showing the surf coming all the way up to the dune line. Our dune wasn’t breached by this storm, but the tide definitely came up to its base.



There is a slideshow on the Local News Page on islandfreepress.org showing high water in Rodanthe. Take a look at what has happened from the nor'easter: http://tinyurl.com/58jabo
That is what we are hoping to avoid, though it could be any of us.

So now, a lot of tasks have been finished up: The cross braces and threaded rod tie-downs have been installed, the main roof is dried in, the window openings have been cut, and the Currituck County sheathing inspection has been passed. The next task is to get that west entry completed so that the windows can be delivered and installed!!!