Earl

As I write this entry, a red ticker flicks on the bottom of the TV screen. "Emergency Management Bulletin: Citizens in Currituck country should be prepared for hurricane force conditions tonight as Earll passes the northeastern North Carolina coast..."

Yep, Hurricane Earl is on a collision course for the Outer Banks, and emergency evacuations have been issued for Hatteras, Dar County, and as of 9:30 this morning, Currituck. Aka: everyone in the Outer Banks needed to get the f*ck out of this god-forsaken island because a category 4 hurricane is about to rip a hole right through its center. KIDDING MOM! But really...

So we go out on the beach this morning for work. WORK! And I actually could not believe how many people were already posted up, umbrellas set, tents mounted, children building sand castles in the sand and attempting to boogey board in the WASHING MACHINE that was the ocean. Don't worry everyone, just because you're on vacation, the hurricane that is projected to come straight for us definitely will not hit. So enjoy your Corona Lights, kick back, and laugh playfully as your kids splash in the water that will soon be their liquid grave. Seriously people? it's a HURRICANE and we are on a BARRIER ISLAND with ONE EXIT, with an island less than a mile across. You should probably get moving, or you may be stuck in traffic as Earl crushes through and you are locked in your car with 80 mph winds. I was actually yelled at today by a patron when I told him about the mandatory evacuation. He looked at me like I had three heads. "This isn't going to hit us, this is a joke. I'm not f*ckin leaving the beach. Look at it out, it's sunny and the waves are not even that big!" Well, sir, I hope you stay, and I hope your nice Audi gets washed away with the storm surge. Maybe we'll break into your house, steal your food and liquor, perhaps sleep in your nice beds. Kdiding...but am I...

Anyway- So what's going on? Well, the mandatory evacuation is only for visitors. And since we are emergency personelle, we need to be here. We've secured the house, taken down all the stands, and prepared for the emergency (aka stocked up on chips, cereal, waters, beers, and flashlights.) And now, we wait. The wind has picked up; it's blowing about 25 mph right now and we're supposed to get the brunt of it tonight through the night. It could hit us full on, it could miss us. Who. Knows. I've never been through a hurricane before, and to be honest I am a little anxious. We've been told we need to be prepared for a power outage for a few days to a few weeks. We all have supplies, we've moved our cars, I guess we're prepared...but can you really be prepared for natures true wrath? Sure, we've all been rather light hearted about the hurricane; laughing at the tourists and how stupid everyone is. But in reality, we're still here, and the hurricane is still coming. It could get scary.

But as of now, we still wait. The 'cane just started approaching the coast and we are experiencing the first rain bands. The storm surge is supposed to be 5-6 feet, with a 20 foot wave. 20. feet. insanity. Wish us all luck down here in the OBX, and hopefully we'll be around tomorrow.