THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 20, 1995 TAG: 9508180162
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 33 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines
Thursday, Aug. 17
8:30 a.m. - 22nd Street and Atlantic Avenue.
While neighboring shops use plywood to invite customers in and send messages to Felix, the employees at Forbes Candies have something else to say. In black spray paint are the words ``O.J. killed Jerry.''
- Holly Wester
9 a.m. - Corporate Landing Elementary School.
About 110 people stayed in the shelter last night, says shelter manager Al Duseault. But he doesn't expect much more today, not with Felix being fickle in the middle of the Atlantic.
``A lot of people left this morning,'' says Duseault. ``We're probably going to stay open until we see what Felix is going to do.''
- Pam Starr
11:47 a.m. - A house on Holly Road.
``Is the hurricane here yet?,'' asks a sleepy-eyed Tiffany McCune, 21, as she draws a set of white mini blinds and peers out a masking taped-window.
``That storm ain't comin'!'' answers her shirtless, tattoo-covered fiance, Steve Richard. The two just crawled out of bed after a night of card playing and drinking with their neighbors upstairs.
Still dazed, the pair of buzz cuts wander out their front door, sit down on the brick porch and talk further about the fate of Felix. A light drizzle makes its way through the trees.
While McCune stumbles inside, Richard fights with a feisty bee and dishes out his beef with weather forecasters.
``I think they scared a lot of people,'' he says, scratching one of his thick sideburns. ``Everybody freaks out and nothing happens.''
McCune, who is sipping Coke from a fish coffee mug, disagrees. ``It's weather, Steve,'' she argues. ``It's unpredictable.''
``I know, but if they would have waited 12 hours, a lot of this unnecessary B.S. wouldn't have happened,'' he answers. ``I think it's good that they warn the public and tell them to take precautions, but the voluntary evacuation was a little bit too severe. It scared a lot of people that didn't need to be scared.''
- Holly Wester
12:15 p.m. - Corner of 25th Street and Pacific Avenue.
White-painted plywood sheets cover the windows at the 5-month-old St. Tropez and artist Lisa Vitiello works to bring them life.
``Aesthetics are very important,'' says a smiling Vitiello, as she dips a stained sponge into a pan of pastel paints.
``We decided to do this instead of getting the old spray paint can out and doing the graffiti thing,'' says store owner Jerry Timm, who is borrowing his artist friend's services.
Since St. Tropez is all glass, Timm had the boards custom made to fit the windows in advance and has kept them in the back of the store. He plans to use them for future storms, so he wanted timeless art and lettering.
In the meantime, Timm rests in the same boat as other business owners, wondering when and if the unwelcomed visitor will show. ``Everybody's just sitting around waiting,'' he says. ``As soon as they say it's over, these boards are coming down.''
- Holly Wester
3:30 p.m. - Ocean Shore Avenue, near Seashore State Park campground.
Gerri Wilner looks out at the Chesapeake Bay and wonders where Felix is. The only evidence of the storm is the white-capped, 5-foot swells of the Bay. Overhead, the sun shines brightly and wisps of cloud dot the sky. A thin line of water washes up to the bottom of the dune line and sea foam mixes with sand to form an eerie surface. Walkers and joggers are less numerous than usual. They look unaffected by the brisk wind off the water. A lone windsurfer rips across the Bay.
``I dragged my little boat up to the house,'' says Wilner, ``put my plants inside and had water in the tub until this morning. I unplugged it.
``It (Felix) doesn't like look much now. This will cause the sand to wash out.
``My biggest worry has been clients' houses,'' says Wilner, a Realtor. ``I have several listings near the water and the owners have been concerned. I've spent a lot of time on the road and on the phone.''
- Gary Edwards ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by STEVE EARLEY
Marty Yatsko and Colleen Costello of Scranton, Pa., stroll the beach
near Lynnhaven Fishing Pier around dawn on Thursday. They said they
had driven down to see the storm.
Nancy Hogan, center, and her nephew, Matthew Theriault, and niece,
Mary Hogan, pack up their belongings by the light of a soda machine.
They, along with six other family members, had come from New
Hampshire and Connecticut to camp at First Landing/Seashore State
Park. They ended up in the shelter at Cox High School.
Staff photo by MORT FRYMAN
With the water and sand closed to visitors, a couple watches from
the 15th Street pier as the violent wave action created by Hurricane
Felix churns underneath.
KEYWORDS: HURRICANE FELIX by CNB