Update on NC Outer Banks:
From the folks I have talked to, it seems like Hatteras Island and north received the most damage, with Ocracoke, Cape Lookout, down to Cape Fear faring somewhat better. I haven't gotten a report from Nags Head yet, but Outer Banks Diving in Hatteras will be back in operation shortly; the shop and boat all came through the storm OK. Olympus diving in Morehead City lost its dock, but I understand they will quickly come back, and Discovery Diving in Beaufort is fine and running charters. Of course there are lots of other operators in these areas that I am either not familiar with or have not heard from, but these give a good gauge of the state of the industry in this area.
Its amazing to me that Hatteras Island didin't have any fatalities considering some amazing stories of rescue and endurance. One older couple weathered the brunt of the storm holding onto a large tree that had fallen across their doorway when their house disintegrated around them. Another woman had crawled to the attic of her family's small hotel to escape the rising flood waters and was rescued near the height of the storm by her father who had essentially paddled from his house to the motel on a surfboard. Huge damages, some injuries, no fatalities. Makes you believe in miracles.
|
