POST 497.1 - DAY 291 / 34: (MID-DAY) RODANTHE, OUTER BANKS, NORTH CAROLINA

It is now 4:30 pm local. Our Video is STILL uploading, so I walked out to the previous break through area of MIRLO BEACH. I did not get but half way. The Ocean has already broken through in three or four new places...far South of the previous break. My boots were filled with sand and needed to be cleaned and dried before I can wear them again...they are now drying.
So, in my walking shoes, I dared not go farther as ocean water is filling SR 12 quickly. I snapped a few pictures and retreated, the flooding water chasing me.

The big Bucket Mover is busy back-filling along SR 12, trying to keep it from breaking up. As mentioned earlier, the asphalt of SR 12 is already undermined and is sloping heavily toward the "lake" on the SOUND side.

A long line of vehicles is waiting to drive past the Bucket Mover.


The four homes being undermined by Ocean Waves are at the far left. The Atlantic has now broken through below house # 6, water flowing swiftly onto SR 12. I walked up to the new flooding water on the center line of SR 12, took a couple more shots and retreated.

High Tide has just passed. The Ocean Water will subside soon as the tide goes down...unless the new channels are cut deeper in the mean time.

The QUICK SAND I walked into is by the second post beyond that pile of debris. That rope really did save me. Without it, I could not have pulled myself free. Now, it is a channel of free flowing Ocean water filling SR 12...and soon the yard of DEJA VU where SPIA stands.

SR 12 entrance to WIMBLE SHOALS, the street of DEJA VU. Flood water has already reached our road and will come in shortly.

WIMBLE SHOALS Road looking back North where all the action is in the far distance.

The above photographs have been placed ahead of earlier posts...because I have not learned how to move material around in GOOGLE's format.

Apologize for that. It is now getting dark, so I do not plan to leave SPIA again, unless it is to retreat upstairs into DEJA VU if the water gets too deep around SPIA.

PRIOR POSTS FOLLOW BELOW:


As promised, have changed into my boots and taken another stab at walking out to the new bridge 6 miles North on SR 12. I did NOT make it. The wind is ferocious, blowing well over 50 mph. Blowing sand was sandblasting my eye glasses.

We have already posted pics of the above homes yesterday. Overnight, more water has undermined foundations. They look to me about to be total losses..

This is SR 12 in front of the homes in the pic above. The pavement of SR 12 has now been undermined where I am standing. The sand filled in next to the asphalt has been done this morning. The asphalt is sloping heavily into the water-filled "lake".

This is the Atlantic Ocean side directly opposite the damaged homes in the above first pic. Last night and this morning, the sand barrier has been blown away. The home in the distant used to be well back from the Beach. It, and three of it's neighbors are fully surrounded by waves coming ashore during our "North Easter", which is expected to continue for another 24 hours.

Walking North on SR 12 - the wind nearly blowing me off my feet, the "new" ocean barrier is being quickly eroded by blowing sand.

A bit further North, the original "dune" barrier with grasses, is still in place. I climbed to the top of the dune. The sea-side is a perpendicular drop off down to the beach 15 feet below...it too is being eroded away.

One interesting sight is to be hit in the face by a big blob of "spume" - flying foam blown off the beach when big waves slam down on the sandy beach.

Looking at the photograph, one would never believe that it is taken in the midst of a violent North Easter.

I walked out for about 45 minutes before turning back because of the "sand blasting" of the blowing sand. The above pic is of MIRLO BEACH, where the IRENE breach occurred two months ago. That breach came from the PAMLICO SOUND side. Before this North Easter is finished tomorrow, it may well be breached again...this time from the Atlantic Ocean side.






Now for the immediate concern. Four beach-front homes are fully involved in wave action pulling sand out from under those wood pilings on which the homes are built.

See video which is being uploaded as I type.

I plan to return in at high tide - at about 3:30 pm - to see how goes the battle. If a home should fall, I would hope to document it with my Panasonic. Let's, however, hope for the best.

The home used in the movie, A Night In RODANTHE, was standing just to the left of the home in the above photograph. It was successfully moved to a new location and still can be rented for $5,000.00 a week in high season.



Please say HELLO to Jeremy.

The home behind the impromptu walkway belongs to Jeremy and is the fourth in line being attacked by the ocean waves.

Interestingly, Jeremy has an apparent "Oh well" concern. Talking to Karen (DEJA VU), Karen describes living out here is like a gambling game (I call it a crap shoot).

Please note the rope in the above photograph.

As I walked back to SR 12 from Jeremy's home, I stepped into the above small stream of water. My right leg instantly sank to above my knee. What the heck, I thought...QUICK SAND. I was able to lean over to grab hold of that rope and started to pull...no luck. I put my left foot down and it also immediately sank to above my knee and I was on my way deeper. Using the rope for leverage, I was able to "suck" my right leg out, only to push my left much deeper, nearly to my crotch. I pulled even harder...put my right foot back down closer to the rope and slowly pulled my left leg out of the suction grasp of the quick sand.

It took me about ten tries...making small progress with each step until I reached firmer sand to the left of the water stream...that sand was soft also, but I was able to use the rope to pull myself to safety. I know...who was the idiot who left that rope there !!

No one saw me. Traffic on the road was out of view.

OK, Sandra...now we know who is NOT afraid of a skimpy ole squall.

According to an CNN News article I read on the net within the past few hours, it is being suggested that "old" people - old = over 70 - should no longer receive major medical treatment...much too expensive for those who have already lived a "reasonable" long life...they should be offered the minimum to ease them into the grave, but NO operations to prolong it.

Reference was also made to the wisdom of the Eskimo solution...put Grandad /ma on an ice flow and give it a shove.

A reader of this blog asked me last year why I do not DO something to correct wrongs I discover. I replied I am walking and blogging to SHARE what I discover. I am not out here to change anything. PERHAPS I WAS WRONG !!

The video has been "loading" for 1.5 hours...will give it another 30 minutes...then I go check on our four ocean-front homes under "attack".

Our video has been uploading now for 2.5 hours. I give up. Sorry.