RSS Feed   Twitter




Hurricane Earl, Wind Direction and Flooding

September 1st, 2010 admin

Wind Direction and Flooding

By: Bill Hitchcock

Sometimes too much emphasis is placed on the wind force of a Hurricane and and not enough emphasis on the effects of wind direction.  With the passing of Hurricane Danielle and the approach of Hurricane Earl I thought it appropriate to re-publish the following article on wind direction and its effect on flooding.

One of the most common questions I am asked about an area or property along the coast of North Carolina is, “Has it ever flooded here?”.

The short answer is “Yes!”. At some point in time, since the beginning of time anywhere coastal North Carolina has been underwater. But that’s not what this article is about.

One of the main causes for flooding is wind. What area gets flooded will depend on the direction of the wind and its strength. Unfortunately, most folks just think in terms of wind strength and not wind direction.

Here’s why the direction of the wind is so important. The coast of North Carolina, including the inner banks and outer banks has beaches and rivers and sounds that face all directions. If, for example we have a strong northerly wind this will help to push water from the north towards the south and up on and in to beaches, rivers and creeks facing north. The map below highlights my point.

Coastal North Carolina

Now if the wind is coming hard out of the south then the opposing (on the north side) beaches and rivers would have waters pushed in.

If the wind is in your face and you are facing water then the water is being pushed towards you. But-If you have the wind at your back and you are facing water then the waters will be pushed away from you.

I once owned a piece of waterfront property on Bogue Sound that faced south. One year we had a hurricane that brought 100mph winds out of the north. I was left high and dry while across the sound on Bogue Banks had severe flooding.

Storms and hurricanes come from all different directions. The coast of North Carolina faces all different directions. Each storm is different and will create a different effect. This is one of the reasons that makes responding to the question about flooding so difficult.

Bill Hitchcock is Executive Producer of the radio program and sister website called Saltwater Catch. Both can be accessed online at http://www.SaltwaterCatch.com Live coverage of all tropical storms and hurricanes can be accessed their.

Tags: Hatteras,Crystal Coast,Wilmington,Morehead City,Outer Banks,OBX,Saltwater Catch,hurricane earl,hurricane,danielle,tropical storm

Crystal Coast Home Market Report

May 17th, 2010 admin

Crystal Coast Housing Market

By: Bill Hitchcock

If I had to pick one word to describe the Crystal Coast housing market for 2010 it would be either “clone” or “identical”. Because so far this year it has cloned or been almost identical to the first four months of 2009. That’s great news for buyers. Not so great news for sellers.

The chart beloww shows the amount of inventory (sometimes called the absorption rate) the Crystal Coast housing market had on market during the month of April. In a normal stable market it takes about 6 months to sell off  the homes that are available for sale.

Absorption Rate

The next chart shows the actual sales for the month of April. But low sales isn’t the only reason for the glut in inventory (as shown above) Read more »

God, Sound and Falling Trees

April 24th, 2010 admin

God, Sound and Falling Trees

By: Bill Hitchcock

Falling Tree

Does a tree in the forest make a sound when it falls if there is no one there to hear it? This has been asked by philosophers for hundreds of years. It is a question rooted in man’s attempt to explain perception and existence. Ironically man is using his own perception and existence to attempt to explain it with. But what does matter anyway? Who cares if a falling tree makes a sound or even what sound it makes?  And what does any of this have to do with God? Before we move forward let’s first establish what sound is.

Sounds are atoms in motion. It is expressed as a waveform. All motion (active, agitated atoms) will disturb other atoms and put those atoms in motion. Anything in motion creates a disturbance creating a waveform and thus creating sound.

There are four parts to sound. 1) An object. 2) An object in motion. 3) The disturbance created by that object in motion.  4) Another object that interferes with (receives) that disturbance.

Think of a pond. If nothing disturbs the water it will lay perfectly flat. All is quiet. Throw (motion) a rock (object) into the pond and it creates waves (waveform). That disturbance,( the waves) will keep on and on until they are interfered with or “received”. That interference could be a dock, a boat, the shoreline, etc. it doesn’t matter. The rock sent the wave. An object received it. That’s how hearing works. Read more »

Rip Currents

April 16th, 2010 admin

Rip Currents Along North Carolina Beaches

A hazard to swimmers but a help to fishermen.

By: Bill Hitchcock

Are North Carolina beaches safe to swim? I was asked that question recently. The short answer is that all North Carolina beaches are safe. But at any given time a particular place on the beach may not be. We are dealing with the awesome force of the ocean and the silty, slithering, sliding beach sand. The composition of the beach and inshore bottom can change quickly.
The danger to be aware of are rip currents. These are narrow streams of water that run perpendicular to the beach and run opposite of the wave action. Sometimes referred to as an “Ocean Outsuck”, rip currents draw swimmers away from the beach. The best thing to do when caught in one is to swim parallel to the beach until you swim to the other side of the rip current.

This picture shows what rip currents look like. You can see the foamy water moving in the opposite direction of the waves.

Rip Currents

Read more »

North Carolina Fishing Report

April 15th, 2010 admin

Crystal Coast Fishing Report

Crystal Coast of North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Report

By: Bill Hitchcock
April is a month the coast transitions from winter doldrums to spring time hot and heavy fishing action. Mid-April particularly so. Traditionally around tax day water temperatures both inshore and offshore jump up by several degrees. This in turn brings the fish in and turns the bite on. This year is no different.
Just keep this in mind. It’s only April and the spring bite has just begun. The fish are hungry because they have just survived a long, cold winter. April thru June bring a very aggressive bite from most species of fish. Be prepared-You’re about to have a fight of a lifetime!
 
CRYSTAL COAST AREA REPORT
Inshore: The wate is still in the high 50’s and low 60’s along the beach. There have been large numbers of albacore along the beaches and up around cape Lookout shoals and a few bluefish are showing up as well. Blowfish and a few sea mullet are being caught along Shackleford Banks and back inside Beaufort Inlet.
Inside: The redfish are still showing up in good numbers back in the marshes. # 17 MirrOlures, Redfish Magics and soft plastics like Berkley Gulp and Biobaits are working well on the reds.

North Carolina Red Drum

April 9th, 2010 admin
 

Video Capture from Documentary

North Carolina Red Drum

A year in the making, “North Carolina Red Drum is the most complete half hour documentary ever produced on North Carolina’s state fish! Produced by Bill Hitchcock this television special covers biology, life cycle and migration, commercial and recreational fishing, management, underwater footage of drum in their natural habitat and plenty of live action fishing!

Find out just about everything there is to know about North Carolina Red Drum by watching this special video presentation

http://www.saltwatercatch.com/customVID/NC_Red_Drum.flv Read more »

What Real Estate Brokers Don’t Know

April 7th, 2010 admin

What does, “I will market your property” really mean?

By: Bill Hitchcock

What does marketing mean?

You’ve heard it. We’ve all heard it.  A real estate broker promises to, “market your property.” There isn’t a single agency or listing broker out there that hasn’t used that term. But what does “market your property” actually mean? What is “marketing” anyway?

This may come as a surprise to many but there is no requirement to have a background in marketing to become a real estate broker. No training or experience in marketing is required to get a license, to work as a broker or to operate a real estate agency. No experience or background in marketing what so ever!

But invariably when a broker is on a listing call they will say, “I will market your property.” They will try to spend equal time as a real estate broker with marketing experience.

Here are two questions to ask an agent when you interview them about “marketing” your home:

Read more »

Example of an Industrial Video

April 7th, 2010 admin

Industrial Video

Industrial Video

Bill Hitchcock

The following is a good example of what is called an “Industrial” video. These videos are made by and for industries and businesses for a variety of reasons. Industrials usually average  between 5 and 10 minutes in length and are not intended to be broadcasted on television.

Industrial videos (sometimes called industrial presentations) can be used at trade shows and conventions, used for internal purposes such as training and direct mailed as a DVD to clients and potential clients.

The best usage of a industrial video is at a company web site. Video is the most sought after medium including online. Billions of videos are watched each month in the US on the internet each month as streaming media.

The following video is an industrial presentation I produced, directed, wrote and shot for a company called “Royal Coat”

http://www.saltwatercatch.com/media/Royal_Coat.flv

President George H.W. Bush

April 6th, 2010 admin

This is a network video news release I produced about President George H.W. Bush. The President came to eastern North Carolina to fish and purchase a Fountain Power Boat.

I produced, directed and edited this video news release and did all of the aerial videography. This video was satellite uplinked to all the four major networks immediately after completion.

http://www.saltwatercatch.com/media/Bush.flvPresident H.W. Bush

Captain George Beckwith Interview

April 6th, 2010 admin

Saltwater Catch Radio

Captain George Beckwith

Today’s guest is Captain George Beckwith of Down East Guide Service. Captain Beckwith is a marine biologist, charter boat captain, tournament champion, national television celebrity and international fisherman.

Listen to the interview Bill Hitchcock did on April 5, 2010 with Captain George just days after George returned from Costa Rica. Topics discussed in this exclusive interview include the present day affects of last winter’s speckled trout cold stun event, El Nino and what it is doing to North Carolina fishing, striper fishing the Roanoke and how to catch a 20 pound plus fish, cobia, tarpon and a whole lot more! Listen to all three segments!

Read more »

« Older Entries
Powered by WordPress | Compare Cell Phone Plans at iCellPhonePlans.com | Thanks to Cheap Palm Pixi, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes
Copy Protected by Tech Tips's CopyProtect Wordpress Blogs.