We have been through many of these storms but none so severe as this one.  Anyone reading this will probably know more than us since we had no power for 5 days, no phone service for 3 days and were under curfew for 2 days and could not go out and see for our selves.  We also had no television so this event was better seen by everyone far away from Isabel.  We were a news item here but didn't see anymore than the immediate problems facing us here in the village.  By the time anyone could go out to see for themselves to turn on the TV, the news world had moved on to other, more pressing events.  We still haven't been allowed to walk to the beach to see what you already have seen countless times on the Weather Channel and CNN.

  The main part of the storm arrived early on Thursday with the usual bands of rain and wind gusts.  That was nothing unusual until about noon when Hurricane Isabel decided to come calling.  Winds back where we lived clocked in the high 90's and were consistent and relentless.  The pine trees bent to the wind at about 40 degrees and limbs began to break and then trees began to let go as well.  The noise of breaking trees could be heard clearly over the freight train noise of the winds.  The house was literally vibrating in response to the wind gusts but we lost nary a shingle to Isabel.  The winds when joined together with the bands of rain turned the usually dark background of the maritime forest an eerie white.  It was nothing like I had ever seen nor could have imagined.

At 8:30 a.m., the power went off which is nothing unusual and was expected.  That's when we went to the emergency kit for radio, flashlights and to make all of the other preparations for later in the day before nightfall.  One of the biggest parts of Hurricane preparedness is, not only having all of the required supplies at the ready, but placing it in specific points throughout the house so you can find them in the dark.  And, it gets very dark!  Another part of the preparedness is to attend to the little things like taking a shower before you lose electricity, having an inventory of the food in your refrigerator and planning your upcoming meals around those items to attempt to eat meals that are more the norm than a can of beef stew.  Keep the canned menu as your secondary plan as perishable items are exhausted.  Also have a plan as to what local radio station will provide you with the most up-to-date, accurate information as to what's going on around you.  Those disc jockeys are going to be your eyes and ears for news events happening out there where you can't go.

When Isabel left us, our entire property was covered in a blanket of leaves and pine needles over 2 inches thick and that was covered with tree branches, pine cones, and large parts of whole trees.  Luckily, there was no damage to any real property, vehicles or the boat.  There was also none of the flooding like we experienced with Hurricane Floyd in '99.  Isabel was very much a wind event as Floyd was all about the rain.

Hurricane Isabel Photos