HURRICANE OPHELIA

GROUND ZERO

I REMEMBER WAKING UP TO HEAVY WINDS AND RAIN. MY HOUSE WAS SHAKING SO BAD I THOUGHT IT WOULD FLY OFF THE BRICKS. THE RADIO'S SEVER WEATHER TONE WAS SOUNDING THROUGH THE ANNOUNCER'S VOICE.

HE WAS TELLING NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS TO FINE A SHELTER OR A LOW LYING AREA.THE HURRICANE HAD HIT THE COAST AND FEAR WAS THAT IT WAS HEADING TOWARD MY AREA. HE ALSO SAID IT WOULD PROBABLY BE OVER AROUND 11:15 THIS MORNING. SO I FIGURED I'D RIDE IT OUT. I ROLLED OVER AND WENT BACK TO SLEEP.

I WAS AWAKEN BY A LOUD SOUND JUST BEFORE 11:15.

DAMN, I GOT UP A RACED TO THE WINDOW TO SEE WHAT THE LOUD SOUND WAS.PEAKING OUT THE WINDOW CLOSEST TO THE LOUD SOUND I COULDN'T BELIEVE MY EYES. MY 12 BY 15 FOOT HEARTLAND TOOL SHED WAS GONE....TAKE A LOOK AT THE DAMAGE...

THIS IS WHAT THE NATIONAL WEATHER AGENCY HAD TO SAY...READ BELOW...TROPICAL STORM OPHELIA MADE A SLOW LOOP ON 12-13 SEPTEMBER...MOVING SOUTHWESTWARD AND NORTHWESTWARD BEFORE BEGINNING A NORTHWARD MOTION TOWARD THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST. THE CYCLONE BECAME A HURRICANE YET AGAIN LATE ON 13 SEPTEMBER...AND MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REACHED 85 MPH BY THE TIME THE NORTHERN EYEWALL REACHED THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST NEAR CAPE FEAR ON 14 SEPTEMBER. OPHELIA TURNED SLOWLY EAST-NORTHEASTWARD WITH THE CENTER PASSING SOUTH OF CAPE LOOKOUT AND CAPE HATTERAS ON 15 SEPTEMBER. IT THEN WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM EARLY ON 16 SEPTEMBER ABOUT 45 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF CAPE HATTERAS. OPHELIA ACCELERATED TO THE NORTHEAST LATER ON 16 SEPTEMBER AND PASSED EAST OF CAPE COD THE NEXT DAY. THE STORM TRANSFORMED INTO AN EXTRATROPICAL LOW NEAR NOVA SCOTIA EARLY ON 18 SEPTEMBER...PASSED OVER NEWFOUNDLAND ON 19 SEPTEMBER...AND REACHED THE EASTERN ATLANTIC ON 21 SEPTEMBER. EXTRATROPICAL OPHELIA DISSIPATED OVER THE NORTH SEA ON 23 SEPTEMBER. ONE DEATH WAS ATTRIBUTED TO OPHELIA...A DROWNING ALONG THE SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF FLORIDA. THE STORM CAUSED AN ESTIMATED $1.6 BILLION IN THE UNITED STATES...WITH SIGNIFICANT BEACH EROSION NOTED FROM THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST SOUTHWARD TO THE CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST.

MY RIDING MOWER RECIEVED SOME DAMAGE BUT STILL RUNS OK. i FOUND THE MOWER IN THE NEIGHBORS YARD NEXT DOOR, ALONG WITH THE LADDER BEHIND IT. IN FACT EVERYTHING IN THE PICTURE WAS INSIDE THE TOOL SHED BEFORE THE HURRICANE.

MY FORD XLT WAS TOTALLED.



SURE ENOUGH THE RADIO ANNOUNCER WAS RIGHT ON THE MONEY. AT 11:15 ON THE DOT THE SEVER WINDS BROKE AND THE WEATHER CLEARED UP. I RAN OUTSIDE TO ACCESS THE DAMGE AND THIS IS WHAT WAS LEFT OF MY TOOL SHED. LUMBER AND TOOLS WERE THROWN ALL OVER THE YARD AND NEIGHBORS YARDS.