THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 7, 1995 TAG: 9509070441
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: By MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 38 lines
Veering to the northwest, Hurricane Luis howled away from Puerto Rico Wednesday and spared the home of Melinda Powell, a 32-year-old Elizabeth City flight attendant stationed in San Juan.
``My house is in Ocean Park, about three blocks from the ocean,'' Powell said, ``and on Tuesday night we had, oh, I'd say 75-mile-an-hour winds with higher gusts during the worst of Luis.
``All my windows were boarded up, and there were a lot of tree limbs down but not much real damage that I could see,'' Powell said.
Powell has been a flight attendant for American Airlines for 10 years and flies regularly out of San Juan to Philadelphia. All air traffic out of Puerto Rico and the nearby Virgin Islands was canceled as Luis approached.
``Electrical power remained on in San Juan, although some small islands just offshore were evacuated,'' Powell said.
``During the worst of it, I was able to telephone my mother and father in Elizabeth City.
``Today (Wednesday) we've had rain with thunderstorms, and the wind is picking up a little, but we don't expect much more,'' she added.
Melinda Powell is the daughter of Tommy and Hazel Powell of Elizabeth City. She graduated from Northeastern High School in Elizabeth City in 1981 and majored in marketing at East Carolina University, graduating in 1984. MEMO: Hurricane Luis story on Page A6
ILLUSTRATION: Melinda Powell
by CNB