Carolina Blue [ Outer Banks ]

I

"When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about" (Murakami).

With every coastal storm, you do the obvious. Get of the coast as soon as possible, tie up your trash cans to the stilts, bring in your boat, and pray that your property isn't destroyed when you come back. You get off that bridge as well as everyone else and hopes that it isn't as bad as Matthew or Florence. You get used to it, you spend your days cleaning up the damage and helping anyone that couldn't get on the bridge in time. At the end of the day, the Island always gets together to help on  another out. That's the case in Brunswick County. The 8-mile island comes together to work everything out. It's always been like this for over 50 years. You know Everyone once you live here your whole life. You work at Provision Company or on the mainland in Supply so you can get enough money to save up for a boat so you can name it after some Lager.

Some places have it rough. You don't have the access to get off the Island so you sit there looking out the window as the trees start dancing in the hundred mile wind. Pelting your windows with blistering rain. Family restaurants and boardwalks pounding away by Triton' s conch shell. Profit drifting away with every wave it comes in contact with. The Outer Banks got hit the hardest. South end of the Island lost water, electricity, as well as cellular signal. As you go up the Island, upper class families still have their  multi-million dollar houses as well as their backup generators. With over 200 miles of islands joined together by bridges and over priced ferry rides, they need all the help they can get. Agatha went strait through the Banks. Brunswick got the rain as well as the wind causing some destruction to the houses that were first and second row.

Once we were able to get back on the Island I looked out the window at the waterway and saw what Agatha did. One story houses that have been here since before I was born are now demolished by the storm surge. Our house on the canal needs touching up as the rain and wind knocked down shutters, shingles, and uprooted a tree in our back yard knocking down power lines as well as blowing out some of our windows along the way. Getting out of the driveway, my parents made sure if anyone needed help. My older brother Greer an I helped get debris off neighboring  properties. Greer grabbed trash bags and filled them with loose shingles, branches, driftwood as well as any waist that was brought in by the waves. As we continued picking up, I could hear my parents talking about my grandparents that live on the Banks.

"Do you think we'll stay at Pawpaw and Nanni' s house?" I asked Greer as we both look over at mom and dad.
"Maybe," he replied  as he saw dad get on a phone call "I guess we'll know for sure later".

As time pasts, we finally got to unlock the front door. Living on stilts the surge didn't reach the main floor. Walking into the kitchen I could see the tree collapsed on our back deck with glass shards surrounding it. With the busted windows, we did have some minor water damage to the carpet. Dad walked around checking every room while my mom Checked her books and photo albums.

"Alrighty y'all," dad stated closing the door to the master bedroom "everything seems to be fine, but it's goin to be a while to get electricity and water back on." 
"Are we going to Pawpaw and Nanni' s?" I asked dad.

He looked at my mom then back to me and Greer. "Your mom an I were talking and we are driving to the Banks. Your grandparents have their backup generator so we are  going to be staying with them until we get power back. We have no idea when they'll be able to get the power back, so until then we'll be staying with them."

I haven't seen my grandparents since they came down for Christmas. They're  my dad's parents, he grew up on Figure Eight while his parents ran the boat company Blue Brothers as they helped fix boats. This brought my dad's side of the family a well known name until they signed over the contract to some other company.

"But we're not going to stay there and be on the couch the whole time, we're going to be helping with whatever we can do." Mom stepped in.

Greer an I both went to our rooms to pack our clothes and essentials to take. Grabbing what I needed out of my room I took one last look before closing my door. Walking to the kitchen to help my dad pack the cooler whatever cold food we can bring so it doesn't spoil while we're gone.

"Hey Mags," Greer asked walking out of his bedroom with his suitcase and bookbag "When you're done helping dad can you take everything to the car while I finish grabbing my things?"

I nodded as I took the bags and suit cases down to the car. Putting them in the back saving enough room for the cooler. After I got everything situated in the car Greer walks down the steps with a drawstring bag. Mom and dad follow behind locking up the house. Making their way down I get in taking one last look at our house. Dad pulled out of the driveway making sure he didn't drive over any shards of glass from houses and made his way to the bridge once more.