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cenes from Oriental on Tuesday August 30.

Elizabeth Cordes airs out a wall hanging that was saturated when a few inches of water entered her home during Hurricane Isabel. She says she sewed it for her son a few decades ago, after the Goodnight Moon children’s book. She’s now renamed it, “Goodnight Irene”. Her back porch on Tuesday was full of items from her first floor that were airing out. Behind her is her dental office which took on two inches of water. She’s hoping to have the office back and fully operational by Tuesday September 6.

A truly Oriental rug. It was on the floor of Elizabeth and Roger Cordes’ living room and got flooded by the few inches of water that got in to the first floor of their Hodges Street home.

The line left by the flotsam on top of Irene’s storm surge as seen on the back door of Elizabeth and Roger Cordes’ home on Hodges Street.

On homes along Hodges Street, residents were setting out debris at curbside and keepable items on their porches where they could dry out. At 505 Hodges, residents saved one item that will likely have a use again in the future.

The Oriental Farmers Market sign went afloat during Hurricane Irene. Normally, it is to be found on Hodges Street by Oriental’s harbor, but once Irene’s surge waters receded, it was in a backyard of a home in the SailLoft community. It had travelled at least three-quarters of a mile. Neighbor Lois Moye returned it to the Farmers’ Market area on Hodges Street.

Hot dogs, get your Salvation Army hot dogs. The line of cars cued up for hot meals served at the Southeast Pamlico Fire Station 19 on Straight Road. On the menu was a hot dog with chili, two cookies and potato chips. Also available were ice and bottled water. Serving it up was the Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services out of Vidalia Georgia. On average, 900 meals were served per session.

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What will become a familiar site in Oriental and other low-lying parts of Pamlico County. The pink insulation from behind watersoaked walls. This was on Broad Street approaching the Oriental Bridge. In another era, one might have mistaken it for flensed whale.

A dock box just below the water’s surface, as seen from the Oriental Bridge looking west. That pier structure is not a casualty of Hurricane Irene; it had long ago lost its planking.

Lee Porter and Craig Cannon of TowBoat US out of Beaufort, the crew hired to raise the motor vessel, “Robin’s Nest” which had sunk at Oriental Harbor Marina in Hurricane Isabel. It got caught on a finger pier during Isabel’s storm surge and never righted. The boat is owned by Tommy Coldwell of Virginia whose wife passed away this summer. The two had planned to travel with the boat. The crew eventually raised the boat and brought it to Triton Yachts Tuesday.

Diver Craig Cannon of TowBoat US out of Beaufort takes an axe to a finger pier at Oriental Harbor Marina on Tuesday. He was trying to loosen the pier that was interfering with the raising of the sunk motor vessel, “Robins Nest.” It wasn’t easy, he said, “to swim and swing an axe at the same time.”

Lee Porter of TowBoat US out of Beaufort, head of the diving crew hired to raise the “Robin’s Nest” from the slip it sank in at Oriental Harbor Marina. In the water is diver Craig Cannon who earlier tried to hack away at the finger pier from the water.

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The Styrontown Beach Pier lost half of its planking.

You can’t get there from here. The Styrontown Beach Pier lost its decking from the shore to where the new section of the pier starts. The beach is at the end of Styrontown Beach Road and one of the area’s older neighborhoods.

The Styrontown Beach Pier as seen from its left side. The newly installed section stayed put but the older section lost all of its planking.

At the end of Styrontown Beach Road lies the community’s cemetery. The storm surge likely covered the area during Irene and it appears a lid to one grave was wedged aside.

Discarded pews, bible and speakers from the Iglesia de Santidad on Neuse Street, a block from the Duck Pond.

Posted Tuesday August 30, 2011 by Bernie Harberts