THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 16, 1995 TAG: 9508160431
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KERRY DOUGHERTY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
Rick Schneider of Buffalo, N.Y., was putting the finishing touches on a sand castle when he rocked back on his knees and shook his head.
``We traveled 800 miles and can't even go in the ocean,'' he said, wrinkling his sunburned nose in disgust. ``And this was the kids' first trip to the beach.''
Eric Schneider, 8, and sister, Laura, 4, dipped their toes in the churning surf off 39th Street, but riptides, lifeguards and the kids' vigilant parents kept them well out of Tuesday's treacherous waters.
Like hundreds of other perplexed tourists who arrived at the beach along with heavy surf and the edge of a hurricane, the Schneiders were cutting their trip to the beach short. They said they'd head inland this morning.
``We were supposed to leave Thursday, but I don't want to find out what a hurricane is like,'' Schneider said.
A few blocks away the Billing family, of Anna, Ohio, stood knee-deep in the Atlantic and stared warily at the blue horizon.
``We keep hearing that hurricanes never actually hit Virginia Beach,'' Greg Billing said hopefully. ``We don't know what to do. I guess we'll go back to the hotel and watch The Weather Channel.''
Lori Billing said the couple's three children were disappointed by the impending storm.
``This is our big vacation,'' she said sadly. ``We planned it and looked forward to it all year. If it was just us, I'd say let's ride it out. But with the kids I feel like we ought to get out of here.''
But her husband said the locals seemed unconcerned.
``The hurricane doesn't seem to faze anybody,'' he said. ``People are cruising around, heading to the beach, going about their business. Maybe they know something we don't.''
But some of the tourists seemed as calm as Billing claimed the natives were.
``We're not going anywhere,'' declared Mike Langstaff of Toronto, who spent 13 hours driving to the beach Sunday with his wife and three children.
``We come every year for two weeks, and we survived Hurricane Bob (in August 1991),'' he said. ``We were camping that time. At least this time we're not in a tent.''
Marita Langstaff said she planned to find indoor activities if the storm hit hard.
``At least you have HBO here; we don't get that at home,'' she said. ``We didn't know there was a hurricane brewing when we left, but we would have come anyway.''
Suntanning on the beach in front of the Cavalier Hotel were two contented tourists from Rochester, N.Y.
``We're Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Brown,'' said Karina Brown proudly.
The Browns were married on Saturday, arrived in Virginia Beach on Sunday, and determined to spend their entire one-week honeymoon as planned - hurricane or no hurricane.
``We're not leaving unless they make us,'' said Douglas Brown. ``We're used to storms and blizzards; hurricanes are something new.''
Brown, a construction inspector, said he was concerned about some of the quality of the Oceanfront development. ``You seem to get away with a lot that we couldn't,'' he declared. ``There are a lot of buildings here that look like they'd never make it through a big storm. Hopefully we're not staying in one of them.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos
LAWRENCE JACKSON/Staff
Traffic backs up on U.S. Route 158 in Nags Head and Kitty Hawk.
RICHARD L. DUNSTON/Staff
Cathy Hamilton, manager of Taylor's Do-it Center on Laskin Road in
Virginia Beach, fills propane tanks for a customer.
KEYWORDS: HURRICANE FELIX by CNB