If you eavesdrop on conversations among Hatteras and Ocracoke islanders, you will hear some variation of the question, ?How did it get to be the holidays already??
It seems as if one day we were in the homestretch of a hot, steamy summer, and now Thanksgiving is tomorrow with a plethora of holiday events just around the corner.
It?s been something of a time warp for islanders since Hurricane Irene on Aug. 27.
The storm?s aftermath so consumed our lives that it seems to many of us that we had no autumn. September and October, for sure, were just a blur in our minds.
There is one thing, however, that we are very sure of — on this particular Thanksgiving, we have much more to be grateful for than usual.
Yes, the storm caused a great deal or grief and loss on the islands ? both physical and economic damage — and we will be a long time in recovery.
However, we are grateful that despite the record-breaking storm surge from the Pamlico Sound in the northern Hatteras villages, there were no injuries or loss of life.
We are grateful that our communities came together and friends and neighbors helped each other in the aftermath.
We are also grateful for:
- Our local, state, and federal government agencies that ? despite the criticism came through for us.
- The volunteer firefighters, paramedics, law enforcement personnel, and other first responders who provided the glue to hold our villages together.
- All of the workers in the state Department of Transportation who repaired our broken highway so quickly.
- The emergency ferries and the Ferry Division workers ? even though the ride and the wait got a bit long at times.
- Our public utilities, especially to the crews from Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative who restored our power.
- Our political leaders, who made tough decisions that were heavily criticized by some but who were there for us and got us going again.
- The Really, Really Free Market, a remarkable effort to help islanders replace what they lost ? for free ? and to all of the volunteers who made it possible.
- All of the groups and individual volunteers who provided meals in the storm?s aftermath.
- The devoted and loyal visitors to Hatteras who made donations of goods and money, and even showed up in person to volunteer in the aftermath.
- All of the island and off-island businesses that contributed to the recovery with donations and fundraisers.
- The visitors who have come back to the islands and made it a point to shop and eat out to help our businesses.
- All of those off and on the islands who are working hard to make it a better Christmas for families hard hit by the storm.
- For the beautiful islands on which we live ? the most glorious place on earth, even with wind and tide and hurricanes and northeasters.
And we at The Island Free Press are grateful for our loyal readers and advertisers and all of you who completed our survey on Hurricane Irene response.
Finally, I, personally, will be grateful if the name ?Irene? is retired by the powers-that-be who name storms!
The list of what we are grateful for this year doesn?t have to end here.
We welcome your comments on whom or what you are grateful for this Thanksgiving.
