15 to 18 inches of rain on Oak Island!

We have been at the beach for sixteen days and during that time we have had four days of sunshine.  Lee and I have come to the conclusion that we must have a very stable relationship! During the past 5 1/2 years we have survived being cooped up in the same hospital for weeks at a time, living 5 months in a small condo, spending almost everyday and night together and now surviving the fears of a possible category 4 hurricane followed by days on end of rain, rain, rain!  Kudos to Us!  We still love each other!

There were some anxious moments here last Friday as we were watching the weather channel.  When hurricane Joaquin was upgraded from a category 3 to a category 4, I announced to Lee that I was not staying here in a 3, and certainly not a 4! He was calm, as usual, and suggested we wait until morning before we made a decision to leave.  He explained to me that things can change and it was possible that it would not make landfall here!  Knowing how much I would need to pack for a fast departure, I immediately began planning our escape.  I packed those items in the car that were necessary for taking home and put his pharmaceutical supplies ( they fill two large baskets) adjacent to the exit door upstairs.  Next, I placed all necessary clothing in hangers ready for grabbing and running!

We decided to make the best of the evening and invited five of our neighbors over for oyster stew.  We spent the evening watching the weather channel and speculating on the outcome of this particular hurricane along with all the rain covering North and South Carolina.  Only one of the five is a permanent resident here so the rest of us were concerned about travel contraindications in the event mandatory evacuation was announced!

Fortunately for us and sadly for South Carolina, you know the rest of the story.  Sunday did bring an abundance of heavy rain with an accumulation of 15 to 18 ".  We do not have the official count, that count was recorded by one of our neighbors.  During a two-three hour period on Sunday afternoon, it rained so hard we could not see the street in front of the house!  It was a stormy day with lightning, thunder and wind.  The only reassuring information was from the weather channel as we learned that the hurricane was stalled and would be moving North and Eastward toward the Atlantic.

Yesterday we rode with our neighbors in his high truck to survey the damage at the end of the street which is Beach Road.  The beachfront and second row houses were sitting in water and the street looked like a small river.  I am sending pictures we took from our vantage point at the end of the street.  There was no damage and no high water level around our house and the houses adjacent to us.  There were quite a few streets closed to traffic due to high water levels throughout the east end of Oak Island.

Today the rain had stopped and the waters are receding.  The sky is overcast and there is a slight gusty wind from time to time.  I am hoping the wind will speed the drying process!  We anticipate some sunshine tomorrow, Wednesday and will be her for the remainder of the week.  Lee is hoping for a few more fishing expeditions before we leave on Thursday, Oct. 15.

Hoping all of you were safe from the storm and let us all remember our South Carolina neighbors as they recover from their tragic loss.

Here are the pictures: