Beach Area Preps for Irene

“Batteries were the first thing gone. Then bread and milk, and a lot of ice,” said 7-Eleven counterman Gabe Isho, as a steady stream of local traffic flew in and out of the Reef Road convenience store. Local residents who were not in mandated evacuation zones in the Beach Area – which, in its entirety, is in an A-Level Flood Zone – were stocking up on key items to weather the arrival, duration and aftermath of Hurricane Irene, which, by mid-morning Saturday, was already lashing the North Carolina coast.

Tricia Caira, in New England Patriots wear, was one of the beach residents planning to ride out the storm. “I’m on Ocean Reef Drive, off One Rod Highway, three quarters of a mile from the beach,” she said, walking out of 7-Eleven with several bags of ice in hand. “This will keep the beer and baby formula cool,” she grinned. “I have an 11-month-old son, who will sleep in our room for safety during the storm period. The worst case scenario, I think, will be a power outage, though I’m nervous about the pines around our property and them breaking through glass doors and windows.”

Mitch Riccione, a resident at College Place, two blocks from the beach, was loading a propane tank that he’d just purchased, into his car. “I’m sticking it out,” he said. “I’ve got a place in Florida, so I’m pretty used to this. I think the reports are overexaggerated. I took all my stuff off the decks – flower pots, lawn furniture, and secured the grill.”

Julie Christides of Longdean Road confessed to being a newbie to the area and a little concerned about the approaching weather, but was staying put nevertheless. “I’ve been in Fairfield for seven months,” she said. “This is some welcome. This morning, I’m stocking up on essentials like bread, milk, Goldfish, water, Corona and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups,” she smiled. “I can’t find batteries anywhere. I was at Home Depot at 7:30 a.m. – people were in line already waiting for back-up generators. Many people also had those red gas cans – which was a little worrying to see. I filled up my car yesterday. I’m hoping for the best, but planning for water in the basement.”

Tom Sullivan, a homeowner on Penfield Road, said he and his family were probably staying. “Today will be telling,” he said. “I just picked up propane, a lot of ice, a lot of water and bagels. At home, I removed our deck furniture to storage and took our Sunfish from the storage rack at the beach, to stow at home. I’m crossing my fingers, hoping this misses us.”

An elder Whetstone Hill Court homeowner, who didn’t give his name, recalled a hurricane from 1954, which struck two months after he moved into the area. “I’m off Reef Road, about a half mile from the beach. “Water came up Longdean Road and surrounded us in our cul de sac. We became an island for a while,” he said.

Jim Feeney, a seasonal beach area resident down on Reef Road, was moving quickly, essentially evacuating the area but really leaving for the season as he had planned to anyhow this weekend. “I’ve been here since Memorial Day. The weather pushed me out faster,” he said.

Stopping in to 7-Eleven for a soda before resuming his official activities, Animal Control Officer Vinnie Pennatto spoke about what his department had established with regard to pets in town. “We set up an animal shelter at Fairfield Ludlowe High School and are asking pet owners, who want to shelter their animals, to bring their own supplies. However, we do have limited resources,” he said. “We have set up sections in the school’s garage to house all the different animals – dogs in one area, cats in another and birds and other household pets in another. We started the process two days ago, passing out flyers. We’ve been doing drills and practices since. There are about 500 houses in the flood zone – twenty percent own pets. It’s hard to know what kind of traffic we’re going to get. The school shelter will be open at noon today.”

Pennatto added that Animal Control itself had to relocate its own shelter, at One Rod Highway, to Ludlowe. “We had to move 18 dogs and over 10 cats.”