‘I slept right through it.’ Dorian passes through Wilmington with minor commotion.
In Downtown Wilmington, residents woke up Friday to gusty gray clouds already beginning to peel back and reveal blue skies in spots. Some set out to check on their city, while others kept up familiar routines.
Frank Delia took his 5-year-old dog, Smokey, on their morning walk along Water Street, considering whether Dorian’s final gusts were enough to keep them from their typical jaunt up onto the Wilmington Riverwalk near Chandler’s Wharf.
Delia said he heard very little of Dorian’s strongest impacts from his Front Street condo, above the Italian Gourmet Market he owns.
“I don’t know whether to open today or not. Maybe I’ll stand in for a few hours myself,” said Delia, who added that he didn’t want to call an employee in.
Throughout the city’s downtown area, daybreak revealed mostly downed twigs and leaves rather than limbs and trees. One exception was a tree partially lifted from the ground and tilting in front of I Love New York Pizza.
Just down Front Street from I Love New York, Michael Leibler and Josh Cranford worked to remove wooden boards from Front Street Brewery’s windows shortly before 8 am.
The men bantered as they stood on ladders, removing the screws keeping the boards in place.
“It got pretty windy, but I slept right through it,” Leibler said.
“Good for you,” Cranford responded.
Cranford said the restaurant hoped to open Friday by 11:30 a.m. with a full menu.
Near Second and Orange, neighbors Libby Cullen and Curt Stiles checked in with each other, Cullen sipping on a hot cup of coffee.
“All the trees are standing, not like last year,” said Cullen, who was kept awake by Dorian’s winds and rain, which she said died down between 3 and 3:30 a.m.
As if to punctuate her point, the mechanical sounds ripping through the Historic District after Dorian were leaf blowers. After Hurricane Florence a year ago, those noises were chainsaws.
Stiles, who is still waiting to have his roof fully repaired from Florence’s damage, said he slept straight through Dorian.
“It was just kind of an adventure this time,” Stiles said.
This story was produced with financial support from Report for America/GroundTruth Project, the North Carolina Community Foundation and the North Carolina Local News Lab Fund. The News & Observer maintains full editorial control of the work.
This story was originally published September 6, 2019 at 10:52 AM with the headline "‘I slept right through it.’ Dorian passes through Wilmington with minor commotion. ."