S H O R T S H O R T S • •
HELPING HABITAT CAPE FEAR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY honored Russ May,
retiring board member and Habitat volunteer of 31 years,
in July during the groundbreaking of the Castle Street
home being constructed with funds from last year’s
Wrightsville Beach Turkey Trot.
May, a Realtor with RE/MAX Essential, has served on the board
since 2008. His time, generosity and dedication were honored at
the groundbreaking for Brittani Harris and family’s house. Habitat
acknowledged May, a runner himself, as vital to the growth of the
Turkey Trot, which began with 100 participants. Last year, more
than 2,600 participated in the event, covering the entire cost to
construct the house at 1921 Castle Street purchased by Harris, a
mother of two.
“I believe owning a Habitat home will give me the chance to
experience something that I never, ever thought I would have
the chance to experience,” Harris says.
Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity (see “Homes of Habitat, November 2016 Wrightsville Beach Magazine) was founded in 1987.
It will celebrate its 30th anniversary by building a house in 30 hours. The kickoff event is scheduled for Oct. 18, with construction
set to begin Oct. 19 and end Oct. 20. The house will be purchased by a mother and her 7-year-old son. — Charlotte Smith
PHOTO BY PAT BRADFORD
Russ May and fellow Turkey Trotters at the groundbreaking
ceremony for the house being built in his honor.
OHURRICANE PREPARATION UR COASTAL COMMUNITY dodged a bullet in September when Hurricane Irma tracked to the west, bringing mostly hours of gusty
winds and rain with high surf and extraordinary tides to our shores. This doesn’t mean the danger has passed for the year.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration notes hurricane season runs through Nov. 30. Peak is Sept. 10, but
strong storms can, and do, occur later. Hazel, a Category 4 and the strongest hurricane to ever hit the North Carolina coast, devas-tated
Wrightsville Beach when it came ashore on the border between North and South Carolina with storm surge of 12-18 feet on Oct. 15, 1954.
The storm moved inland to Fayetteville and Raleigh then north to Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and New York still
packing winds of 110-plus miles per hour. At Long Beach, North Carolina, five of 357 buildings were left standing. The December 1954 NOAA
report states, “Every pier in a distance of 170 miles of coastline was demolished.” Nineteen people died in North Carolina.
Irma was a good reminder that it is essential to be prepared when a major storm approaches. As the Town of Wrightsville Beach points
out on its website, “The entire community is a flood zone. Be ready.”
The town offers plenty of tips, beginning with an evacuation plan. Other
advice includes having important family documents and information
ready to take, including a written and video inventory of valuable house-hold
goods.
Before leaving, residents should fortify homes by covering windows
with plywood, turning off electricity, and shutting off the valves to LP
tanks and outside water pipes, including those to showers and to docks.
The town recommends paying its vehicle tax as soon as possible each
year, but definitely when a hurricane threatens to come this way, because
the proof of payment decal, known as the re-entry decal, is what allows
residents back into Wrightsville Beach after a mandatory evacuation.
Other tips and information can be found under the “Hurricane
Preparation” link on the town’s web page. — Simon Gonzalez
Stay prepared for a big storm, because hurricane
season isn’t over until the end of November.
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