Falmouth Harbor at 4pm, an hour before the height of Hurricane Sandy.
Fortunately Falmouth was not in the direct path of this monster storm. The height of the storm was at 5:00 PM on Monday. High wind gusts were measured at seventy-five miles per hour throughout Cape Cod. Almost half of the homes and businesses in Falmouth lost electric power.
The Palmer House Inn was without electricity for almost twenty-four hours. Fortunately the temperatures were mild, so keeping warm was not a problem. We had flashlights and oil lamps to help us get through the night and we had a pleasant conversation about the chapters of our forty-five year marriage. We discussed the wonderful highs and the unpleasant lows and how we were able to weather the true storms by holding together and trusting in the Lord. During the day, Bill was able to do some reading about the War of 1812 and Pat camped out with a cup of tea by the kitchen window and did some sewing on a Christmas gift for our granddaughter. The inn sustained only minor damage. We are glad that we have been keeping up with tree maintenance on the property. The charming weather-vane on the top of the turret was blown off and destroyed. Also, many small branches and lots of leaves were blown out of the trees. We had plenty of warning about this storm so we were able to remove the hanging plants and secure the outside furniture. Now the clean-up begins.
Falmouth Harbor Beach in Storm
The Shining Sea Bikeway at the Trunk River was heavily eroded and covered with debris from the storm serge. The water in Falmouth Harbor rose level with the piers and waves crashed up into the Clam Shack restaurant. The channel leading to Little Pond is completely filled with sand. The docks at the Woods Hole Yacht Club were submerged under the high water of the storm. Serf Drive was covered with water and the sand had to be bulldozed back onto the beach on Tuesday. On Menauhant Road along the beach, sections of the sidewalk and seawall were dislodged. High water in the Childs River covered the docks at Bosun’s Boat Yard but no boats were damaged. The Landfall Restaurant weathered the storm quite well. There were signs that water had penetrated the floor, however, Jimmy and Donny had removed the furniture and fixtures and there is no doubt that they will be back in business on Thursday. The authorities have warned us to be cautious of very high tides during the next few cycles because the storm surge has not yet receded. All of this sounds very minor when one watches the television coverage of the devastation to our south.
We have to be thankful for small blessings. This storm arrived after the season was over. Last year’s hurricane Irene arrived on our shores in September, when we still had two months of the busy season left. This year, all is well.