Thanksgiving is here much too soon for me.
There has been a nip in the air this week, but how could it be Thanksgiving already when it seems that only yesterday it was hot and humid and the islands were filled with tourists?
The past three months have just flown by in my mind — a blur of divisive political ads and weather maps.
And now it’s Thanksgiving.
For many of us on southern Hatteras and Ocracoke, it’s a tough holiday. Too many families are dealing with the damage and destruction of their homes from the back-to-back tropical systems, Hermine on Labor Day weekend and Matthew on Oct. 9.
Some families were still cleaning up the damage from Hermine’s storm surge when Matthew came through with record flooding in some areas.
For these families and business owners, the end of this year has been devastating, brightened only by the terrific community spirit that you can count on when disaster or tragedy come calling on Hatteras and Ocracoke.
I think it’s safe to say that anyone who needed help got it — sometime they asked, but mostly they didn’t have to — scores of their friends and neighbors just showed up to help out.
Mary Ellon Ballance of Hatteras was just honored by the Dare County Board of Commissioners for stepping forward within hours of the receding floodwaters in her village and getting folks organized for recovery work — from cleanup to cooking.
It’s an honor that the community-minded Ballance richly deserves, but we must remember that behind her were scores, if not hundreds, of folks who answered her call for help — folks from other villages and vacationers who jumped right into the fray with them to help families in need.
We can be thankful that not a person was injured or killed in the storms and that many are being lifted up by the outpouring of love and kindness coming their way.
Those of us on Hatteras and Ocracoke can also be grateful for some really important events that we celebrated this year and will enjoy the fruits of in years to come — we hope.
In March, ground was finally broken for a replacement for the aging and decrepit Herbert C. Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet. It might have been 25 years or more in the making, but there is finally agreement and a bridge well underway. It is expected to open to traffic in November 2018.
Work is also underway on a new temporary bridge on Pea Island — five years after Hurricane Irene opened an inlet in the area in 2011. The temporary bridge is scheduled to open to traffic in early spring of next year. It should serve us well until there is a permanent solution to keeping the transportation corridor open through the refuge.
The third piece of keeping traffic flowing on northern Hatteras is the “jug-handle” bridge that will bypass the S-curves and Mirlo Beach in North Rodanthe. The N.C. Department of Transportation is concurrently working on the final environmental documents to get a record of Decision from the Federal Highway Administration, while also interviewing and choosing a design-build team for the bridge, so DOT will be ready when the ROD is announced.
Dare County’s $25 million project to nourish about 2.9 miles of beach in north Buxton to protect Highway 12 from the encroaching Atlantic Ocean is finally going to happen. The county Board of Commissioners signed a contract with Weeks Marine of Covington, La., last spring to get the dredging started and finished during 2017.
Dare County manager Bobby Outten said this week that Weeks Marine had not yet announced a schedule for pumping the sand onto the beach, but we can expect it to happen in the warmer months when the ocean is calmer and less stormy.
For many 2017 wasn’t soon enough to get this job done. Others were amazed that the needed state and federal permits, including the Park Service’s blessing, were obtained so quickly.
Now we need to hope this winter’s northeasters don’t cause further damage before the sand gets pumped.
The Dare Board of Commissioners also hired a consultant this year to obtain the permits to dredge a “no man’s land,” in Hatteras Inlet — also know as the Connecting Channel. It’s a vital waterway for vessels to travel to and from the Hatteras docks and the Atlantic Ocean. Work is well underway on permitting and a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which would do the work.
This dangerous and troublesome area for boat captains is long overdue for attention and for a solution to the nightmare of bureaucratic red tape that held the fleet hostage.
It’s too early to say that the dredging will happen, but it’s about the closest we’ve come to it during a struggle that has lasted several years.
So, this year, we can be grateful for all of these infrastructure projects that will improve access to our islands in one way or another. We hope they will contribute not only to our quality of life here but also to some much needed economic growth among our small businesses.
Also, this Thanksgiving, I’d like to mention that I am grateful for the years of service that Hatteras Island Commissioner Allen Burrus has given us as a member of the Dare County Board of Education and Board of Commissioners.
He announced late last year that he would not seek re-election for health reasons and will be replaced by Danny Couch of Buxton. His last meeting was on Monday, Nov. 21.
With Burrus’ retirement and the death of his good friend and Democratic colleague Warren Judge just a few weeks ago, Dare County has lost a wealth of institutional knowledge.
Burrus has fought for what he thought best for all of his constituents in the county, though he managed to illuminate for many what was special and different about the southernmost part of Dare County. Many will especially remember his contributions to such issues as education, substance abuse, keeping our waterways open, and preserving our commercial fishing economy.
He’s been a good friend and a good source of information when it comes to Hatteras Island, and, though he won’t still be an “official” county official, I’m sure I will continue to call him when I’m looking for answers to questions or just a different voice on an issue.
Finally, as we enjoy Thanksgiving with family and friends, let us continue to remember our friends and neighbors who were affected by Hermine and Matthew. Many will have a more difficult time than usual this winter making ends meet.
The Cape Hatteras United Methodist Men is, in my view, the best organization that we can contribute to if we want to be sure that help gets to the right people when they need it.
The annual food drive is underway with drop-off points up and down Hatteras Island, and the group uses cash donations to help families meet the financial demands of recovery not being met by other means — insurance, FEMA, SBA.
Click here for more information on contributing, whether you live on Hatteras or just love to visit here. We are going to need all the help we can get.
And a happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers.
