1 Oct 03

Hatteras Island is alive and doing all right. We took a big hit from Hurricane Isabel but the spirit of this island is not broken. Although there was quite a bit of damage to property, trees, and our protective dunes from Oregon Inlet down to the new inlet that formed just northeast of Hatteras Village, not a single resident in those areas is complaining because what happened here doesn't come close to comparing to what happened to Hatteras Village. Click here to take a trip to the new inlet

The whole northern end of the village was destroyed and they were left without power and water and were cut off from the rest of Hatteras Island by this new inlet. Luckily and amazingly no one was badly injured. Click here for pictures

Some power has been restored after the authorities and the power company brought in large portable generators and a limited ferry service was started to the village from Stumpy Point on the mainland. The county is now in the process of boring under the new inlet to run a new water main to the village and this will most likely be completed by the 6th of October.

Islanders help islanders. In the days right after the storm, an armada of boats set out from the Scotch Bonnet Marina in Frisco for Hatteras Village everyday hauling supplies, water, toiletries, food and other necessities. These wonderful people helped with the clean up, hauled back dirty laundry to wash, took Hatteras Villagers to stores, doctors appointments and anywhere else they needed to go and then transported them back home.

Governor Easley is committed to refilling the new inlet and installing a new road to Hatteras Village. The US Army Corps of Engineers has said it can be done by the end of October and has started moving assets to there in preparation for this.

School on Hatteras Island restarted on the 29th of September. The children from Hatteras Village are being ferried to and from by one of the boat owners from Hatteras.

The 29th is also the day that the island was reopened to tourist and, as I can attest, it was a very hectic day. Click here for related story

One of the worst things as a result of a hurricane is the huge amount of debris and trash generated. From damaged furnishings and building materials to brush and trees, large piles of trash accumulate along roadways awaiting pickup. Click here for example

The winds from hurricanes strip most leaves and large amounts of small limbs from the trees making it difficult just to walk across the yard. The leaves left on the trees and other flora begin to turn brown and die from both the salt spray deposited on them and from being bruised and beaten by the wind.

All the fresh water plants have begun to die where the ocean breached the dunes and let salt water run inland and mix in the fresh water ponds and creeks. Click here for example Large flocks of egrets and gulls gather around these water spots to eat the dying fish, frogs, and aquatic life.

The one creature that seems to like the large amounts of water deposited as the result of a hurricane is the mosquito. As quickly as the day after a storm, swarms of mosquitos began attacking anytime you go outside.

Because of all the decaying plant and animal matter, a septic stench has begun to envelope the island.

The National Park Service opened the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse to visitors on the 29th of Sept. and Ramp 45 to "The Point" on Tuesday, the 30th of Sept.

Other than the huge amount of repair and cleanup work, life on the island north of Hatteras Village is basically back to normal.

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25 Oct 03
An update of Izzy.

The new water main to Hatteras Village was completed and hooked up on the 7th of October and contractors started filling in the new inlet by the 13th. After some initial problems were solved, that project is now well on its way to completion. By the 23rd, 1/3 of the inlet has been filled and a new dune line has been built in front of the fill. The completion date is expected to be around the end of November with the new road to be built by Christmas.

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7 November, 2003

The new inlet was closed completely earlier this week. They are now in the process of building the new dune line and the projected time for the road to be complete and open is December 1st.

Storm debris cleanup on Hatteras Island north of Hatteras Village is almost complete.

Crews in Rodanthe and Pea Island continue to push the sand from the dunes that had washed inland back where it belongs - rebuilding the dunes that protect our island.

Short of the problems Hatteras Village still has, island life has generally returned to normal.

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24 December, 2003

Christmas Eve.

Hatteras Village was reopened to the general public on the 22nd of November whether it was ready or not. Apparently big money was involved. Not a single resident of Hatteras Village that I talked to was for reopening the village to everyone this early. There is still very much cleanup and rebuilding to be done and having a large amount of visitors around only hinders these activities.
The "Officials" chose to ignore the residents of Hatteras Village and, in my opinion, followed the wishes of wealthy rental home owners and reopened the village to all prematurely.

On this day before Christmas not a creature was stirring in our house because they are all snoozing on the living room floor enjoying having the doors open with a warm fresh breath of air wafting across the room. Although it is raining, the temps are in the upper sixties with a mild breeze.

This is Christmas on Hatteras Island.

Merry Christmas to All

and
Bless all the Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen who are defending our families, our country, and our way of life.

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13 June, 2004

School has just ended for the year on Hatteras Island. This vacation season is apparently going to be very busy because we already have a very heavy volume of visitors.

Almost all the damage caused by Hurricane Isabel has been repaired although there are a few houses in Hatteras Village that are still not fixed because of insurance problems and manpower shortages.

Although we finally had a couple of thunderstorms a few nights ago, it wasn't enough to alleviate one of the worst droughts on Hatteras Island in years. We haven't had any real rain in over 2 months and its been hot. All of the ponds are drying up and the Cottonmouths are on the move looking for water. I don't believe in killing snakes but I have a small pond in my back yard and have had to kill two Mocs to protect my grandchildren and my dogs.

I'm starting a couple of new projects to show you some more interesting things about Hatteras Island. One is a photo series showing "The Dogs of Hatteras Island". Most residents here own dogs and almost all of them take their dogs with them everywhere they go, either in back of their trucks or in their cars. In my case, I have two dogs and an old Suburban and look like an airplane going down the road with my dogs hanging out of the window on each side of my car. I think this will be an interesting project.

Stop back in occasionally to read more about Hatteras Island and to see how this project is coming.

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28 June, 2004

This last week has helped ease some of the drought we have been experiencing the last few months although it has not totally relieved us.

Summer tourist season is in full swing and most rentals are full.

As is normal for this time of the year, not many fish are being caught from the surf although the charter boats are doing well and making good catches of Yellowfin Tuna and Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi).

Not much else going on here at this time of year. Check back frequently.

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6 July, 2004

The island is totally slammed this 4th of July week. I've never seen this many people here.

It's hotter than Hades and super humid. 105 degrees heat index and still in a drought. We could really use some rain. I'm worried because with the large amount of dead brush and trees from Hurricane Izzy, the 3 month drought, and the number of careless people here now, the fire potential is huge. A good two or three day rain would certainly ease my mind.

Getting close to the time of the hurricane here. Nothing dangerous in the Atlantic yet but the Caribbean is already warmer than normal and this bodes ill for us as it increases the chances of hurricane formations later this season.

Thats all for now. Come back again.

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3 October, 2004

Hello again.

Well we've almost made it through another hurricane season, thank you. This was a scary year.

We got slammed in early August by Hurricane Alex - way early. If we were getting hit that early, we were really worried what the rest of the season would be like.

We ended up being very lucky. No more hits. Fortunately for us, but unfortunately for them, Florida took hit after hit. I feel so sorry for them.

It's still very warm here. Mid 80's and humid. The fishing is starting to pick up and the number of tourist is dropping. Nothing special going on.

Have a good fall and Happy Halloween.

13 November, 2004

Hello.

Winter seems to have finially arrived on Hatteras Island. Nasty winds and heavy rain moved in yesterday evening and today is rainy and overcast with winds up to 35 mph.

I'm not really complaining however because I spent the last two days on the beach fishing. Beautiful sunny days with light winds and warm temps. Although the fishing wasn't anything to speak of you must remember -
A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.

Actually, we did catch a few small Blues and loads of Skates. And I do mean loads. At one time, I looked up and down the beach and everyone I saw had a skate on their line.There were hundreds of them. My buddy says he thinks there is only one skate who has learned that he can have all he wants to eat if he is willing to get stuck by a hook.

They have been catching a few big drum but I'm waiting for the Rockfish (Stripped Bass) to get here. They are my favorite. This front might cool the water down enough so that they move in. Hope so.

Everyone have a nice Thanksgiving and don't forget about our wonderful young men and women serving, fighting and dying in the protection of our country and way of life.

Happy Thanksgiving

23 December, 2004

Hi again.

Two days before Christmas and I'm sitting here at my computer with my front door open. The fall has been beautiful until this last Monday.

Sunday night's low was 22 degrees with snow and Monday was very windy and very cold. It was the coldest I've seen it here in 8 years.

But this is Hatteras Island. Tuesday it warmed into the 50's and Wednesday and today into the 60's.

I went out to "The Point" an hour ago to see what was happening. Not much going on. If you are familiar with "The Point" you know how changeable it is.
This year it has added hundreds of yards due south.
Some years it builds out toward the East and before Hurricane Isabel last year, it had almost completely dissappeared on the West side so that you couldn't get around the sand dunes to drive down South Beach from there. After Izzy, the sand built back up and is now hundreds of feet from the dunes.
The dynamics of this Island is one of the things I love the most about it. I will try to post some updated pictures of "The Point" soon.

My employer, Dare County, has installed a Live Web Cam at the northern end of Rodanthe where the dunes where destroyed during Hurricane Isabel last year and if you want to get a idea of the weather and ocean conditions, Click Here. This is a live feed motion camera but to enable faster downloads you are only seeing updated pictures every 15 seconds.

Going to go now. Don't forget about our wonderful men and women protecting, fighting, and dying for our way of life and our freedom this Christmas and New Year.

Everyone have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

2 June, 2005

As you can see, it's been awhile since my last update. I've been remodeling and moving into a different house since January.
Like the rest of the country, we've had a bad winter and spring. I lost plants that I've had for eight years to the cold and the wind hasn't stopped blowing for six months. We had a Nor'Easter last week, the second in a month. The ocean water temp is still in the low 60's and so the fish haven't come back like they normally do in the spring.
The National Park Service has closed off massive areas of driving beach in case the birds might nest there so now the increasing number of SUV owning tourist are having to crowd into smaller areas of the beach. This last Memorial Day week, the beaches were packed shoulder to shoulder - literally! And the gas prices aren't keeping anyone home.

IT'S GOING TO BE A HELL OF A SUMMER
I'll let you know in a month or two how things are going.

The County has installed a new web camera at the entrance to Hatteras Village. Click Here to see the weather there.

26 August, 2005

The end of the heavy tourist season is very close (Thank You) although during the last few falls and winters, there have still been alot of visitors to the island all year long. Use to be that the late fall and winter were the times that the locals got to enjoy Hatteras Island without having to fight traffic or wait in long lines trying to obtain the items and merchandise that are usually in short supply during the tourist season because of the high demand by the visitors. This seems to be changing. Hatteras Islanders no longer get any real relief from the influx of visitors so that they can catch their breath and relax without having to worry that they will be late for their appointments because some tourist wants to go 40 mph on Highway 12 or having to get up at 4:00 am to go to Food Lion so that they don't have to wait an hour in the checkout line - which they don't have time to do because they have to get their kids to school or have to be at work on time.
Don't get me wrong. I know the island's economy depends on tourism but, as locals, we pay premiums everyday because of these large numbers of visitors and their demands. We have to pay the exorbandant prices charged by the tourist demand driven businesses, gas stations, food markets, and restaurants everyday whereas the tourist only have to pay them the week or two that they are here. Most locals have always accepted this because they knew that at the end of the "Tourist Season" they could again enjoy the quiet tranquility the island offers when it isn't slammed with visitors. This special time is quickly disappearing as more and more people come to Hatteras year round.
We have also noticed that the tourist's expectations and demands are changing - and not necessarily for the better. Not to long age, most visitors were happy just to be here to enjoy the nature and tranquillity of our island but for many visitors that is no longer the case. More and more are very inconsiderate, aggressive, and demanding. Rental visitors want big screen TVs, internet access, hot tubs and private pools,and restaurants and businesses that open early and stay open late. Many either drive tremendously aggressively or extremely slowly without any consideration of other visitors or the local population. It seems to me that alot of these tourist came here to get a break from the stresses and conditions of their lives but bring exactly the same thing here that they are trying to get away from. Many act like the locals are backward hicks that are here only to be used. I can attest that the majority of the population of Hatteras Island are quite sophisticated and knowledgable. They are good business people who work hard and long. The old story that Hatteras Islanders are backward and do nothing but drink and fish is not true - not to say that they don't enjoy these things - but there is so much more to them. Don't underestimate them! If you do you may be sorry and you will miss some of the best aspects of Hatteras Island life. If you come to Hatteras Island, enjoy it - don't change it!!!

19 October, 2006

Its been over a year since my last entry and I apologize.
The word is that the North Carolina DOT has finially decided to build the new Oregon Inlet Bridge starting in about 15 months. Thank You Jesus! After countless studies, meetings, and public discussions, they have decided to act.
They decided to build a short bridge across the inlet and to build causeways over the vulnerable hotspots on Hwy 12 that are in danger of being washed away during hurricanes instead of the alternative 15 mile bridge and causeway from Body Island to Rodanthe. The old bridge is many years past its projected lifespan and is becoming very expensive to maintain to keep it safe to use. If you are not familiar with Hatteras Island, this route is the only road access to the island and if it were to be closed because of the road being cut or the bridge being damaged, the ecomomy of all the villages would be devastated. I'll try to keep the progress of the project updated.
The weather is still very nice here. We were wading in the surf last week and there were still kids swimming in the wonderful small bay that formed on the
Point this spring. All of my grandkids really enjoyed this pool and my wife and I even swam in it quite often.

"It don't get much better than this"!!!

Well, thats all for today. I'll try to keep everyone informed about the bridge as it progresses.

28 June, 2007

Well, we are into full tourist season and are slammed. The rental cottages and hotels are almost full. Next week is the 4th of July week which is traditionaly one of our busiest weeks and it looks like this year is no exception.
Before season started, alot of people here where worried that the rental market would be down considerably because of the economy and high gas prices. Well guess what! Apparently, people are going to take their vacations in spite of these.
Weather wise, we are in the middle of a very bad drought. All the ponds and anything not fed by the ocean or sound are almost completely dried up and the fire danger is extreme.
This creates a bad combination - fire danger and a large number of tourist. And the 4th of July next week.

This is a warning for visitors this year and in the future.

Dare County is going to aggresively enforce the no fireworks law

It was not strictly enforced in the past but now will be. Please don't bring fireworks here.

The National Park Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service have closed off huge sections of Hatteras Island beaches for shore bird breeding. Now their new proposal is to close off more beach as "Critical Habitat" just in case Piping Plovers might decide to nest there. When I say close off, I mean no driving or walking from in the dunes all the way down to the surf. The beaches will be totally closed to everyone. They are continuing to squeeze a rapidly increasing number of visitors and locals into less and less available beach. All this just in case a pair of Piping Plovers might nest here. Here is a link to the Fish and Wildlife Service information page about these proposed closures.

Proposed Cape Hatteras Seashore Beach Closures

Please go there and read about the proposals and then if you don't agree with them, click the ncplovercomments@fws.gov link and post your comments. Don't let the bureaucrats take away what little open beach we still have access to on Hatteras Island.

Well, thats enough ranting for today. Just remember, please submit your comments to the Fish and Wildlife Service to be able to continue enjoying our seashore.

19 March, 2008

Sorry I haven't kept this updated. I'll try to do better in the future.
I am presently working on a revamp of this website and hope to have it completed in a month or two.

Not much has changed since my last entry. No progress in the negotiations on beach driving and they still are fighting about which option to use for replacing the Oregon Inlet Bridge.

Highway 12 keeps getting closed perodically right at the north end of Rodanthe (the "S" curves) because of ocean overwash during rough surf conditions. (Click on the "S" Curves camera on the Hatterasobx homepage to see).

If anyone has any questions about Hatteras Island please feel free to email me.

Until next time - Have a good one.

6 June, 2009

Much has changed since the last update. The tourist season is just getting busy and the National Park Service has closed off about half the beach access for "bird activities". I am a staunch environmentalist but I try to temper my environmentalism with common scense and that truly seems to be lacking here at this time. The anti-beach access environmentalist and the pro-beach access associations were supposed to be using a process called Negotiated Rule Making to find an agreement on the beach access plan but there was so much antagonism between them that the National Park Service shut the process down without any type of agreement. Don't know what is going to happen now.
Here is an example of the stupidity of the situation. There was a break in the water main between Hatteras Village and Frisco in the area where the inlet was cut by Hurricane Isabel in 2003. The Dare County Water Department has to install a new pipeline thruough this area but must wait until a bird enclosure in the way is reopened. Hatteras Village is still being supplied by an 8 inch main but it is inadequate to provide the proper amount but, because of this bird enclosure, the residents of Hatteras Village are at risk just because of the unreasonable attitudes of the "Pro-Enviornment" groups. These same organizations shut down the logging industry in the pacific northwest becauses of the Spotted Owl and prevented military training exercises in the south because of the Red Cocaded Woodpecker.
Again, I am an environmentalist but I try to combine common scense and moderation with my environmental enthusiasm. That is sorely lacking here.