I hope that means "good news" but I'm not convinced in this case. About the only thing I know about the situation in Morehead City (North Carolina) right now is that they had measured 23 inches of rainfall — nearly 600 millimeters — by 8:30 p.m. on Friday. As I type this, it is midnight there (6 a.m. on Satruday here in Saint-Aignan). Accuweather says rains spawned by Hurricane Florence are continuing.
Other sketchy reports are that innumerable trees are down in Morehead (pop. 9,000) and the surrounding area. They are blocking streets and have pulled down electrical and telephone wires. I imagine the power is off through the whole county. There are more detailed reports from New Bern, a bigger town 35 miles northwest of Morehead, and the flooding there is impressive. I tried to get some news from the New Bern television site, only to learn that the station was flooded out and had to shut down.
I'm waiting for news from my sister and other friends and family members. Over at Atlantic Beach, across a mile-long bridge and causeway, the two oceanfront fishing piers that remain — there used to be many more piers along the 25-mile-long barrier island — have suffered significant damage. I'll just keep monitoring the situation as best I can on the internet, and hope for some news from people there soon.
Hope everything is well with your relatives, Ken!
ReplyDeleteI hope so too...
Deletehttps://www.wunderground.com/cat6/Florences-1-100-Year-Storm-Surge-Breaks-All-Time-Records
ReplyDeleteThank you for that article. Here's the link live.
DeleteHere's a link to some National Weather Service video from Morehead City and Newport areas.
DeleteMy niece, who left Morehead City with her daughters, said on Facebook that she had been in contact by cell phone with her mother (my sister) after midnight Eastern Time and my sister didn't need to be rescued... "so far."
DeleteI think it's good news that your sister doesn't need to be rescued. But it doesn't mean she's out of the water, so to speak. Hope her possessions didn't suffer from extreme winds and high water levels.
ReplyDeleteI'll try to get her on her cell phone later today. The food "mission" where she volunteers is on very low land and may well have flood water inside. I also am curious to know whether the retirement complex where MA lived has flooded. It too is right on the edge of a salt marsh, with a two- or three-foot "seawall" as it's only protection. I of course know a lot of the residents there, since MA lived there for a dozen years and I visited often.
DeleteIt was interesting that New Bern along with larger places were mentioned here, and so was Morehead.
ReplyDeleteAccording to weather radar I can see on different web sites, the hard rain is finished in Morehead. I guess there might still be some heavy showers and gusty winds, but it seems the storm has moved on.
DeleteI just questioned YouTube about Hurricane Florence at Morehead City and was rewarded several videos. Of course, I have no idea if they actually show Morehead City or other places in North Carolina.
ReplyDeleteThe weatherman on the last report I heard before going to bed last night said, "the poor people of Carteret County" when referring to the unrelenting rainfall. Good news that your niece has been in contact. Though I'm somewhat surprised that cell phones are still working.
ReplyDeleteI can only assume that Carteret County didn't have high winds for a long enough time to blow the cell phone towers over. But the rain...! I remember once we had 11 inches of rain over a weekend in San Francisco. In Morehead it was 23+ inches over maybe 36 hours.
Deletethe whole southeastern part of the state is without power....it'll probably be a long time before they can even get in there to start restoring.......hope you can reach your sister soon....we're expecting our worst weather sunday....
ReplyDeleteI got my sister, Joanna, on her cell phone a few minutes ago. She's okay, and so is her house. She hasn't been able to get out yet, because the police haven't lifted the curfew that is in effect. Roads are still covered with knee-deep water, according to articles and videos I've seen. The phone connection was really bad, so we couldn't have a normal conversation. It was still a relief to be able to make contact.
DeleteSo happy that you got to speak to Joanna! I wonder too how your mom's neighbors fared.
DeleteGlad you got to talk directly to your sister. It must be a great relief to you. Un grand ouf de soulagement.
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ReplyDeleteFlorida has power .. we actually never lost power .. The Carolinas is another thing .. Ken if there is anything I can do from here, let me know. I can keep trying her phone or you can give her my number in case calling long distance is a problem for her at this time ..
Thanks Candice. See my comment above.
DeleteOh, thank heavens you reached Joanna. Please continue to keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteWhat a relief you were able to get in touch. At 10:00 AM US central time, CNN reported 30 inches of rain for Carteret County...and still falling. Fast approaching 3 feet.
ReplyDeleteYes, I just read that same number: 30" in Morehead City as Sheila just reported. So glad you have spoken/heard from your sister, Ken. When I woke up several times during last night I kept thinking about your family - especially when I was watching those weather maps and the eye of the the storm. Such a relief that you, two, were able to get in contact.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you've heard some news. I've been watching the local papers in western NC, but they don't have much more than the wire stories. I think that if Morehead isn't mentioned it's a good thing -- you're hearing about New Bern because the TV station flooded. Reporters on the ground are going to be held back by conditions, and the first responders always get priority, so it may be a while before many specifics emerge.
ReplyDeleteWhatever you do, don't look at the page for the Weather Channel: It was using every hysterical, loaded, inflammatory word possible yesterday, which only makes it worse for the people reading.
My thoughts have been with you and your family and friends, Ken. Glad that you were able to speak with your sister.
ReplyDeleteOoooh, good that you've been in touch with your sis! Glad to hear that.
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