RODANTHE, N.C. – Automobiles streamed inland from North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Tuesday as up to 90,000 people were urged to get out of the way of Hurricane Isabel, the most powerful storm in four years to menace the mid-Atlantic coast.
Isabel’s winds weakened during the day to around 105 mph from a peak of 160 mph over the weekend. But forecasters said the Category 2 hurricane could strengthen when it crosses the warm waters of the Gulf Stream on a projected course that could take it straight into the Outer Banks early Thursday.
Coastal residents from South Carolina to New Jersey boarded up homes and businesses and stocked up on batteries, water and other supplies. North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley declared a state of emergency, allowing him to use the National Guard and also seek federal disaster relief after the storm passes.
Thousands of tourists and others abandoned parts of North Carolina’s Outer Banks as rough surf pounded the thin, 120-mile-long chain of islands.
By Tuesday evening, grocery stores and restaurants were closed or shuttered, and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was barred to visitors. The main beach roadway, Highway 12, was unusually barren of traffic and the beaches nearly desolate.
“Even a lot of old salts are bailing out,” Brian Simmons said as he placed plywood across the window of Stoney’s Seafood in Avon. “I don’t know if it’s some vibe they feel or something.”
David Kidwell, a 64-year-old retiree, was staying put at his home in Kitty Hawk.
“If it was a 5, I’d be gone. If it was a 4, I’d be gone. But right now it’s looking like a 2 or less,” he said. “That’s just nothing more than a big nor’easter as far as I’m concerned.”
National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield said he was concerned people were not taking the storm seriously enough because it had weakened to a Category 2 from Category 5 over the weekend.
“We need to get people’s attention because this storm can cause a lot of damage and loss of life if people are unprepared,” he said.
Tuesday evening, Isabel was about 545 miles southeast of North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras, moving northwest at around 8 mph.
A hurricane watch was posted from Little River Inlet, S.C., to Chincoteague, Va., including a large part of the Chesapeake Bay.
Copyright ©2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
