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fter several weeks of winds from the south and lower than usual water, Oriental got a reminder Monday of the fickleness of its wind tides.

With the wind shifting and coming out of the north, water from the Pamlico Sound pushed up the creeks, including Raccoon Creek, otherwise known as Oriental’s Harbor.

What can an extra foot or two of water do? Here are some of the scenes Monday afternoon near the overflowing Duck Pond, the flooded Hodges and Main Streets, and the harbor:

The Duck Pond came to the ducks who found water 50 feet closer than it usually is.

If it talks like a duck….

Some took it more stoically: a dragon egg partially covered by the waters near the upper Duck Pond.

Jack sticks to the middle of the road, even when it’s under water, while visitors to town check out the fish schooling near the drain.

Checking out the fish that swam to the harbor.

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While parts of town were underwater, most of the boats from the Youth Sailing Program were on dryish ground.

By late afternoon, the water had receded somewhat on Hodges Street. (In the foreground is a Gary Gresko sculpture that’s in front of the Village Gallery.)

A block away, on Main Street, however, the water was still high and the warning deserved heeding….

… but perhaps it should be reworded to, “Water May Be Deeper Than It Appears.”

Posted Tuesday May 19, 2009 by Melinda Penkava