Recovery continues on Ocracoke Island but at slow pace
The recovery process on Ocracoke Island is moving along but slowly after Hurricane Dorian.
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Heavy equipment and hand-held rakes are helping clear up debris and damage after flooding swamped the area.
On one side of the dunes you can see and hear the tender crash of ocean waves. On the other side is the crash of ruins rising like the foulest of mountains.
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"You know, it's our stuff," Lanier said. "It's my books, it's my paperwork, it's my children's artwork. But now that we've thrown it all away, it's good to see it gone."
People treasure the sound of the junk haulers. It's the sound of cleansing, healing. In a nod to normalcy, the Magic Bean Coffee Shop is perking again, too. Caitlin Mitchell, an islander all her 30 years, will soon have to rip out her shop's floors. For right now, lattes and lots of porch sitting are good for her neighborhood's soul.
"Helps me feel like we're moving in a forward direction," Mitchell said of the cleanup process. "It's wonderful to see people enjoying the space and just kind of sit and breathe and relax."
"Our aim is to always be here for the people, and that's what we do, to be here for people in dire situations," Hutcherson said.
The rubbish heaps will eventually be gone, and we'll be mesmerized again by those other mounds from the dunes.
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