Irene

Hurricane Irene has come and gone. While she was here, her outer bands stretched into the Piedmont. Here on the Coastal Plains, we sat inside all day as high winds, and even higher wind gusts, thrashed everything in their path. Large trees toppled over and branches fell. Some on the grass and in the woods, others on houses, knocking out power, and lives. NC officials have spent time and resources preparing the beaches for the upcoming holiday, but inland residents complain they're being forgotten. Three days later, many are still without power.

I couldn't take photos during the storm. Every time I opened the door, a warm blast of wind and rain chased me back. I can only share a few photos that I took before Irene's arrival. Two are of clouds that spun off from Irene's outer bands. The last shows a gorgeous (and untouched) sunset on the eve before the hurricane made landfall.

The storm has wrecked lives and property from the Carolinas to Vermont. Pray for those affected. They need, and appreciate it.

One Natural Disaster Down, One to Go

Earlier this week, the east coast experienced an earthquake that was felt throughout the Carolinas. We barely had time to ewww and ahhh over it though. A hurricane was on its way.

Irene is now knocking on our doors. The Outer Banks has been evacuated, as have places along the Albemarle-Pamlico peninsula (if you're looking at a map, it's the raggedy flap in the middle of the coast.) We're a bit further inland, but white clouds are looming on the eastern horizon, and our weather radio is already bleating warnings of high winds and flash floods. We're hoping Irene will stop being a diva and turn east.

I'm following the storm on the National Hurricane Center, The Weather Channel, and Twitter, where the Carolinas organizations I follow are constantly updating their statuses with weather information, evacuation and ferry updates and more. Let's pray it's overkill, but as the old saying goes, it's best to err on the side of caution.

If you're along the coast, I hope your impact is minimal, and the rain just enough to water the land and put out a couple of wildfires.

Tracking Earl

Skies above us are blue for the moment as Category-4 Earl churns toward the North Carolina coast. The eye is expected to kiss Cape Hatteras, home of the famous lighthouse, early Friday morning before moving north along the eastern seaboard.

The NOAA satellite image below shows the hurricane as it appears about the time of this posting:

For more on the storm, go to Storm Pulse's Atlantic Hurricane Tracking page.

One Visitor We Hope Will Change Its Mind

Hurricane Earl is barreling toward the North Carolina coast. Warnings have been issued for the entire North Carolina coast. As of this morning, Ocracoke and Kill Devil Hills have been evacuated, and The Weather Channel is reporting from the beach.

I pray Earl changes his mind and swings east, merely skirting the Carolinas. If it doesn't, I pray everyone in the warning cone evacuates in time. Either way, coastal friends, our prayers are with you.

To follow the storm, go to the National Hurricane Center or The Weather Channel

For a local perspective, go to WRAL.