'It felt like you were on a boat': Family rides out hurricane in rental home

The Beasley family saw its favorite beach rental home destroyed by Hurricane Irene in August 2011. This week, the family returned and was greeted by Hurricane Arthur. Instead of leaving, the family stayed put during the intense storm.

“It was a ride last night,” said Dave Beasley. “It was very windy, loud, the house creaked a lot, but we hung in there.”

The rental home is built over the Sound and was right in Arthur’s path Thursday.

Beasley and his family were quick to grab their cameras and smartphones as they rode the wave of Arthur on the Sound.

“It was swaying, probably an inch or two in each direction,” he said. “It felt like you were on a boat.”

The Beasleys are the first to rent the house after Hurricane Irene knocked it off its stilts three years ago. Charley Pereira designed and re-built the house. He made it seven feet higher than the original structure and added a few engineering details to help it withstand a hurricane.

“We put it really high up in the air this time,” Pereira said. “It’s a true waterfront house, designed to be here a lot longer than I will be alive.”

Despite the rebuilt structure, Beasley says there were some tense moments during the hurricane.

“My wife thought about getting out when the Sound blew back and there was no water under the house,” Beasley said. “I would (do it again), but I don’t think I can convince my family to do it again, though.”

Beasley says the family finally relaxed after the Sound settled back into its place under the house.

“To stay in this house is an experience of a lifetime,” he said.