Hatteras Island cut off when N.C. 12 is washed out

HATTERAS ISLAND, N.C.

It was already dark when Justin O'Neal hopped onto his Jet Ski on Saturday and began cruising through his flooded neighborhood, checking on relatives, curious to see what Hurricane Irene had done to Rodanthe.

He had no idea the storm, which had already been raging nearly 24 hours, was about to fill Hatteras Island's northern villages with more water than old-timers say they've ever seen.

By taking a path west of the island, Hurricane Irene sucked Pamlico Sound onto its western banks. When the wind finally shifted late Saturday, the storm released its hold and pushed the water east with destructive ferocity. Those who were there say it happened quickly.

The power of the moving water tore a hole through a large section of N.C. 12 near Mirlo Beach, isolating the island and likely costing its businesses the remainder of the summer tourist season.

For O'Neal, a rescue diver, it nearly cost him his life.

He said he was still in control when he reached his grandmother's store, a 38-year-old building that had never flooded. Water several feet deep was pouring in. He snapped a picture of some deer that had emerged, apparently in search of higher ground.

Moments later, O'Neal became caught in a rip current that cut through the North Beach Campground, headed straight for the ocean. The Jet Ski was powerless against the raging river.

"It was either me go with it or I had to ditch" the Jet Ski, he said Sunday. "It was unreal. I didn't think I was going to make it back to the store."

O'Neal said he swam against a current in water above his head. He reached the campground's bath house, caught his breath, then pressed on. By the time he reached his grandmother's store, he was exhausted - but alive.

The current carved a channel through the campground and pushed at least two RV campers out to sea. No one is believed to have been inside.

On the Outer Banks, Hatteras Island's northern villages - Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo - appear to have taken the brunt of Hurricane Irene's wrath. Residents described a Saturday night flood that caught them off guard and vulnerable. Several people said an afternoon clearing must have been the hurricane's eye passing over, fooling some into a false sense of security.

At least 800 yards of the roadway in northern Rodanthe was left a tangle of sand, water and crumbled paving, stranding hundreds of residents who chose not to evacuate.

About 3 p.m. Saturday, Don Wray and some family members left the safety of their home in Salvo to check on their restaurant in Rodanthe.

Suddenly, water rushed into Sting Wray's. They climbed into their vehicle and started down the road. They had traveled about 200 yards when it became clear they'd never make it to Salvo. If not for a nearby fire department opening its doors, the family would have been in serious trouble, Wray said. The water eventually rose to 8 feet.

Wray said radio reports had led him to believe the hurricane had moved on to Virginia Beach.

"The sky was blue. The wind wasn't blowing. And I thought it was over," he said Sunday morning.

"It came so quickly. We were just not ready for it."

Rodanthe native Jazania O'Neal, Justin O'Neal's grandmother, said that in 73 years, she'd "never seen a hurricane last this long."

On Sunday, she said she didn't yet know what to do about the flooding in her North Beach General Store. Standing on buckled hardwood floors covered with mud, she said she never thought it would happen.

"Thank the Lord it wasn't the Category 2 or 3 they said it was going to be," she said.

Michael Beveridge was cleaning up Sunday after Hurricane Irene flooded his house in Salvo. He said Hatteras Island will band together and recover.

"As long as the earth doesn't shake and the wind doesn't blow, we'll be all right," he said. "We're storm riders."

Officials hope to have an emergency ferry service up and running today. The ferry will bring much-needed supplies.

"It will be the lifeline of Hatteras," Dare County Manager Bobby Outten said.

Farther north on the Outer Banks, on the sound side of Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills, people spent Sunday sawing downed tree limbs and raking up debris. On some streets, a thick blanket of marsh grass coated the pavement. In Kill Devil Hills, a group of people used shovels to clear the road. While cars were able to get through most roads, many people rode bikes through the streets, surveying the damage.

Two properties owned by Luke and Sunny Baer that back up to the sound suffered serious flood damage. Water ripped two holes into the side of one property, tearing a door off the building. The waves shredded part of the walls.

At the other house, 3 or 4 feet of water broke the garage door and washed some of their possessions away.

Late Sunday morning, the couple had begun cleaning up.

"We're happy we're alive," Sunny Baer said. "It could have been a lot worse."

On Currituck Sound, Walnut Island flooded after the sound rose about 5 feet above normal. Some said it was the worst flooding ever there.

Donnie Woickelman and two others left their home in waist-deep water about 8 p.m. Saturday. On Sunday morning, he rode his bicycle through the flooded streets with an empty gallon milk jug to get water and buy supplies.

Darrin Smith sat on his front porch, where the water had reached the top of his foundation. Cars in his driveway had been flooded, he said.

"It's the highest I've seen in 43 years," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Breaches to N.C. 12 on the Outer Banks (from NCDOT)

View NCDOT NC 12 - Hurricane Irene August 27, 2011 in a larger map