Thursday, October 13, 2011

Zeisings' Anchorage - We tour Irene devastation

Sunrise at the Zeisings
Miles and miles of debris from Irene
There was a great sunrise this morning to greet us for the next day. We dinked in for coffee and decided to go out for supplies at the local supermarket. Along the way, Bill took us by some of the bay areas that were subject to the 9 ft plus surge tide of hurricane Irene. The housing code in the area required all new buildings to be above the 100 year flood plane which is at 7 ft. over maximum high tide. Irene was 2 ft above that! I remember hearing over the news that Irene was over-hyped and wasn't as strong as predicted. However, the rain and flood tide was what drove the devastation. It just washed away entire houses and put water levels at heights never seen in recorded history. The debris from ruined houses is piled high along the roads for later pick up by the county. The debris piles stretch for miles along some of the highways. It's a heartbreaking sight to see. Compared to their neighbors, the Zeisings were fortunate to escape major damage to their property and house although they certainly had to lot to repair (A/C, heat, septic, roof, front stairs, etc.).
Crabs tend to stick together before going into the pot!

It was good to get back the the air conditioned house and away from the mosquitoes that have multiplied due to all the standing water from Irene still left over in the surrounding land. Pat now has a bumper crop of crabs! They are much larger and more plentiful than at any time in the past and so she's been replenishing her supply of crab meat. Meanwhile, we've been enjoying the fruits of her labors - the crab cakes she makes are without any fillers, just pure crab meat - the only way to enjoy crab cakes!!

After dinner and more bridge, enjoyed the port wine that Rudy and Alison gave us and Bill pronounced it "excellent"! Off to the boat in the dink in the dark and time to get ready for another day at the Zeisings.

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