Exactly one week ago a mandatory evacuation of the island I live on was ordered. Hurricane Irene was spinning in the Atlantic, and bearing down on cape Hatteras, NC as a category 2. This brought about a decision I had to make, in the words of Mick Jones of The Clash, “should I stay or should I go?” According to the local news outlets, this was going to be a “historical event” a “hundred year storm” if you will. After a little self-deliberation, my decision was set in stone. I was staying. I took the precaution of leaving my car on the mainland, and there I was with my trusty bike ready to ride out the storm. By the next day, the island was a complete ghost town. Only a handful of people stayed and they were all down to party. As the storm approached, I rode over to a good friend’s house. The bros were bunkered down in the garage with coolers filled with hundreds of beers and other miscellaneous alcohol. We were ready to weather the storm. Throughout the night we periodically checked the beach, sang hurricane songs, and partied like it was the end of the world. Before we knew it, daybreak was upon us and we were able to see the full extent of the damage. We could also see the huge waves that the storm brought. By now it was a waiting game, waiting for the storm to pass and the winds to swing offshore. When it finally did, there were double overhead bombs firing over the freshly groomed sandbars. WAVES WAVES WAVES! The bridge reopened later in the afternoon and everyone filtered back on to the island, and it was time to clean up the mess the storm left in its path. -The Chotch More videos on the FreedomFiends YouTube Channel
