Irene Approaches
It was still eerie calm the morning Irene approached the Outer Banks. I went to the beach in Kill Devil Hills to find the waves were still glassy and fun, surprisingly. The sky was starting to look ominous, but there was still no wind or rain. A handful of surfers were out making the most of the pre Irene waves before hunkering down.
I headed south towards Hatteras Island; closer to Irene. The road was empty. The thousands and thousands of tourists here just days prior had already evacuated.
First stop was Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, where there’s usually over 50 boats docked and hundreds of people standing around waiting to see the fleets catch. Not a soul around. Buildings boarded up. Only a couple boats still in their slip.
Driving over the OI bridge was pretty spooky. Didn’t pass a single car. Sky was darkening. Irene was coming. One of the few times I could stop and shoot a photo from the top of the bridge.
Pea Island was empty and desolate as ever. Didn’t even see any birds flying around. An army of bulldozers were set up by the Coast Guard Station as if they were ready for battle.
I made it to Rodanthe to find the ocean already coming up under the houses at Mirlo Beach. 24 hours later there would be a river washing through were I was standing..
Next stop was Rodanthe Surf Shop. Debbie was loading up everything into sheets and packing it in her jeep before evactuating. She was in good spirits, but knew it was going to be ugly there the next day. She thought everyone else on Hatteras Island should be evacuating too.
Instincts were telling me to start heading back north but I went a little further south. The KOA campground empty and looking like a cemetary, Lisa’s Pizza boarded up with hurricane flags whipping in the wind. Stopped at the Nights in Rodanthe house to find the owner and his dogs out on the porch. He was glad to see me and wanted me to shoot plenty of photos of his house. Was feeling very confident he would be fine riding out the storm in his famous house.
Back in town. The weather was starting to deteriorate. Hurricane flags flying everywhere. People boarding up and buying food, water, gas last minute. News teams everywhere. Pretty chaotic for the amount of people still here.
Will conclude my first Irene series with this photo I caught before it started dumping rain. Heard a fire truck driving by yelling for everyone to evacuate. Never heard anything like it…someone telling me to leave because I could die if I stayed in my own home. Check back soon for images of Irene’s landfall.
