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From: Jesse Ferrell (WeatherMatrix) (ferrell{at}weathermatrix.net)
Date: Sun Aug 15 2004 - 10:45:24 EDT
I finally found some information on the damage from Hurricane Charley at
Long Beach on Oak Island NC, where I was on vacation last week. I was
worried because the hurricane made landfall near the NC/SC border
yesterday, which is the worst possible place for landfall for Oak Island
because it directs hurricane-force winds straight into the land.*
It sounds like from the article below that there was significant wind
damage, but because it was low tide, there was little basement or dune
damage. Of course we can't say for sure without pictures. I know that the
Brunswick Co. airport, which is located just off the island, measured a
gust of 51 knots, with 58, so I suspected that gusts were near 80mph at
Long Beach, which is confirmed below. It sounds like the worst damage was
at Holden Beach, which is next door to the west.
*As a comparison, there was little damage there from Alex, Fran and Floyd
even though they hit less than 50 miles to the Northeast, while there was
massive damage from Hugo which hit 200 miles to the southwest. The reason
is the rotation of the storm and whether it causes winds from the land or
winds from the sea.
<http://www.wwaytv3.com/Global/story.asp?S=2174676&nav=0zHRPsJR> (video)
(August 14, 2004) - Holden Beach took a beating from Hurricane Charley. In
one instance, the roof from the front porch of a home on Ocean Boulevard
landed on a neighbors red minivan, crushing it.
Debris and shingles litter many streets. One family who worked at their
real estate office while Charley blew through learned about their roof
ripping off their house from our news coverage.
When asked to compare the damage, many residents say Hurricane Charley
caused more damage than Hurricane Floyd."
VIDEO CHARLEY: OAK ISLAND
==========NEXT ARTICLE===========
<http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=2175104> (photos)
""Charley wasn't a visitor the Damion family was expecting on their
vacation. His winds of over 80-miles-per-hour in Oak Island sent their
ocean view crashing.
"The windows were crashing, kids were screaming, we had to call 911," John
Damion says.
A quick rescue by emergency crews saved the day, and their vacation
continues despite the horror.
Flooding was also a problem throughout the beach town, and the damage
continued further South in Brunswick County.
In Holden Beach, Charley didn't stay long, but he hit hard and left his
mark. There was forceful waves, hard rain. The 80-miles-per-hour wind gusts
ripped siding from beach homes.
But one of the structures hit the hardest was one of the only gas stations
in town. Winds tore the awning to shreds, closing down business. (photos)"
==========NEXT ARTICLE===========
<http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040815/NEWS/408150315/1004/Local>
"Numerous beachfront properties suffered roof and siding damage.
Tommy Thomes, the owner of the Long Beach Pier, said he used a portable
anemometer to measure winds as high as 83.5 mph, which he said was much
stronger than he expected. The storm's timing saved the island from major
damage, he said.
"If this was at high tide, we would have had our hands full," he said. "I'd
rather have the wind damage than the ocean over the dunes.""
--
===================================================================
Jesse Ferrell - Meteorologist / Webmaster / Founder - WeatherMatrix
8000 Weather Enthusiasts Can't Be Wrong! www.weathermatrix.net
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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