Updated Tidal Forecasts for PI: 9 '18

Finally, the hydrology folks at NWS are producing forecasts for the gauges in Pawley's Island. Because the water headed our way is moving so slowly, crests are expected Friday or Saturday about 1 - 3 feet higher than the last tide.  This is very good news when you consider the worst-case scenarios we were receiving. 

The Bridges are open and may not close at all based on the new estimates.  Freshwater should be available throughout the flood, dikes have been build around pumping stations to protect them.  We have been asked to reduce our water usage by 50%  The Coastguard has closed the Inter Coastal Waterway from Georgetown to the little River ( We are still boiling our water and/or drinking  our emergency supply until this passes.) 

Kings River Highway closed: 9 '16

The Kings River Highway is closed Just north of All Saints

The water is a few inches higher than it was from Hurricane Matthew.  The police tried to keep the road open longer today, but people were driving fast causing waves to roll into the flooded houses on either side

The Kings River Highway just north of All Saints

Stay away from the rivers: 9 '18

Oh Yuck 

If this message from the Coast Guard doesn't convince you to stay out of the fresh water,

 nothing will.  Click on 

Intracoastal Waterway closed to all vessels

On a Happier Note: 9 '18

I just heard that the Pawleys Island Chapel is safe,

and

So os the Shell Tree,
and

There are now Two foxes on Pawleys Island,
and

I saw about 30 Ibis  in the PI Marsh today,
and

The goats are back on Drunken Jack's Goat Island,
and

The Spoonbill are still feeding at HBSP

and

Life  in the Low country is returning to normal

Zinnias post Florence: 9 '18

  

Zinnias 9 ' 17' 18

Remember how we came home after evacuating from Florence to find my Zinnias had been beaten to the ground by the rain?

The plants were still blooming,

And every blossom had a butterfly on it, and 

all the hummingbirds were feeding on the zinnia nectars.

As near as I could tell,  my flower bed zinnia bed had been, and until my neighbors returned would be the sole source of food for the neighborhood's entire population of pollinators. 

 Zinnia bed 9-18-2018

So I  temporarily staked the sturdiest plants back up as best I could,

Former Zinnia bed 9-20-2018

Now that my neighbors returned, replanted their flowerbeds, and put out their hummingbird feeders,  I feel less guilty about removing the remaining zinnias and cleaning up the flowerbed.  I will miss their vibrant colors, and all the wildlife they supported.

National Guard called in for Post Florence Flooding

The S.C. National Guard and state Department of Transportation were working to block oncoming flood waters in the Waccamaw River at Conway. Highway 501 northbound  ( the northern hurricane evacuation rout for the grand strand)is closed coming into Conway. The river could reach record flood levels within the next 10 days.

Florence Floods Hywy 17:9 ' 18

So there was a reason I was being woken up by flood alerts all night long.

Thanks to one of Florence's last remaining outer bands letting loose a deluge on us,

Ocean Highway 17  flooded near Sandy's Island

as did portions of Spring Street on Pawleys Island

Just how many forms of disaster can Florence create? 9 '19

Unbelievable. We've just been alerted that a tornado watch has been issued for this area. Some of the outer bands from Florence are still swirling above us and their stirring up mini twisters. Not as dangerous as the big ones, but strong enough to rip your roof off. And a heavy squall just drenched Kat and is beating up the zinnias I had just staked back up.

To the astonishment of beachgoers, a large waterspout came ashore at Myrtle Beach at 9th Avenue North, near the town’s seaside Ferris wheel, tossing umbrellas and beach chairs into the air as bystanders gaped. The funnel’s wind was estimated at 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.  Other waterspouts sightings were reported in Hunting Isle, Beaufort, and North Charleston SC.  

 This is like a very bad disaster movie, I can't wait for it to be over.

Flo is gone but not forgotten: 9 '18

The storm has passed, but nothing much is back to normal, and for many it will take days even weeks, to set things straight.

Most gas stations, grocery stores, shops, schools, entertainment venues, and civic institutions remain closed as authorities assessed the integrity of bridges and roadways, and surveyed the date in order to put a recovery plan in place.

Damage Assessment = Nill: 9'18

As soon as the car was unloaded, I made a quick checkup of the areas immediately surrounding our home. As these Before ( 9/11/18) and after ( 9/17/18) photos show, there was no noticeable damage to anything in the neighborhood ( other than our Zinnias).

Our home, Before Flo 9/11/18

Our home, Post Flo 9/17/18

Units 148, Before Flo 9/11/18

Units 148, Post Flo 9/17/18

Units 108 2,3,4, Before Flo 9/11/18

Units 108 2,3,4, Post Flo 9/17/18

Units 108 2,3,4looking west, Before Flo 9/11/18

Twelve Oaks looking west, Before Flo 9/11/18

Twelve Oaks looking west, Post Flo 9/17/18

Units 108 1,2,3, looking east Before Flo 9/11/18

Units 108 1,2,3, looking east, post Flo 9/17/18

Units 108 3,4, looking east, post Flo 9/17/18

Units 92, looking west, before Flo 9/11/18

Units 92, looking west, Post Flo 9/17/18

We are so glad to be home!

We hit the road for home at daybreak this morning. It was a long hard drive home through the rain but we made it without incident and pulled into our driveway at about 1 pm.

I don't know who was more elated:  Me or Ms. Kat.

It's raining, its pouring: 9'18

We got 10.28 inches of rain in the last 4 days in Pawleys... That's more than we would sometimes get all year in California... and it is still coming down hard.

Storm Surge Warnings are out: 9 '18

The PI marsh is at very high risk of Storm Surge

For those of you who think that we are out of the woods because Florence has weakened to a Cat 2... No such luck. We are still at risk from storm surge.. check out google maps (switch to satellite image view) of our street. We have marsh on two sides of us

 and 

YES, THIS IS A FLOOD ZONE!

Click on this link to see the PI Marsh around us

Spooky feeling to see your hometown on TV:9 '18

That's Pawleys Island in the lower left corner of Florence's eyewall opening.

Spooky!  I woke up at 1:30 am to find my hometown right under Florence's eyewall opening on the National Weather Service tracking map.  It is so strange being so far away and having to guess what is going on at home.  We get more news about how our hometown is fairing from the ILUV Pawleys Island FB page than we do the from The Weather Channel or any of the national news agencies.

Pawleys Island Causeways closed: 9:18

Just heard on the News that the Pawleys Island Causeways are closed to all traffic going in or out until the evacuation order is lifted,

AND

immediately following Hurricane Florence, access to the Town will be closed to all traffic except for emergency personnel and utility companies.  Repair crews will use this time period to assess the situation and to make repairs necessary to facilitate the return of residents and property owners.

Reentry will be announced as soon as the extent of damage to the island can be determined. 

Public Safety is the utmost concern at this time.

We live in a water world: 9 '18

Areal photo of Murrell's Inlet

This is an areal photo of a neighboring community showing 

just how much water we do have around us.

The marsh at super-tide.

And this is what it feels like to be living in the low country during a super tide.

Grateful to be Living in the Land of the Brave: 9 '18

I passed more FEMA Emergency Management and lineman trucks than I have ever seen before, .. all were headed right toward the storm.

 I am so grateful for these brave people who are willing to put their own lives at risk to help others in the face of disaster

Kat in a Cage: 9 '18

Nooooooooo!

Ms. Kat likes to go on road trips, but she made it quite clear that she was not pleased about being confined to a cage for the evacuation.  

Seriously?

She used all her kitty wiles, including facial expressions and vocalizations to convince me to let her ride cage-free

But Mom, I didn't do anything, I'm innocent I tell you.

She continued to protest loudly for the first hour of the trip.

I am definitely going to report you to the SPCA.

 I pulled into a rest stop halfway through the trip and let her out ( on a leashed harness). She stood there scenting the air with a bewildered look on her face.  Once she realized she had no idea where we were, she resigned herself to the cage being the better than being lost and settled down for the remainder of the trip. 

One last Look: 9 '18

One Last Look

 The house is prepped for Hurricane Florence and the car is packed. Ms. Kat and I are evacuating to Augusta Georgia until it is safe to come home. We are planning to be there for a week or however long it takes for the coastal flooding to reside.  Augusta will be on the fringes of the storm so the effects should be milder.

Storm of a lifetime: 9 '18

This is t the news I woke up to this morning. The National Weather Service is calling Florence, "the Storm of a Lifetime". Up until this morning, they were forecasting landfall to the North of us, but now they are saying she will twist and head south along the So Carolina coast..wreaking havoc on the coasts of both North and South Carolina and bringing extreme flooding to the midlands of both states. Up until this morning, I had a small hope of not having to evacuate...but this settles it. We're outta here!