THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 9, 1996 TAG: 9601090247
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
TYPE: THE BLIZZARD OF '96
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 148 lines
While the rest of the East Coast was trying to dig itself out of the Blizzard of '96, some residents of northeastern North Carolina continued to court the storm Monday - hoping the flurries that began falling shortly after 8 a.m. would build into a blizzard.
Gale-force winds swirled flakes across the Albemarle area all day. By noon, most school systems had sent their students home. County and municipal offices followed soon after. The College of the Albemarle closed its main campus, in Elizabeth City, at 11 a.m. Even Superior Court was canceled in Dare and Pasquotank counties.
But little more than an inch accumulated - and most places received only a dusting of the dry, powdery snow.
``This isn't a snowstorm. It's just a cold storm,'' said Luke Gallop, a maintenance worker who was repairing cottages on the oceanfront in Kill Devil Hills. ``Until I get off work - and finally get to come inside - it doesn't count as a snowstorm to me.''
Dressed in long underwear, jogging pants, two sweatshirts, a thermal jumpsuit, insulated gloves and a scarlet stocking cap/face mask combination that covered everything except his mouth, Gallop spent all day outdoors Monday. The thermometer on a nearby bank read 27 degrees when he knocked off work about 4 p.m. Gallop and his two co-workers said that despite their extra layers, they were cold.
``It's been a coffee day, for sure. That's the only way to warm up out here - from the inside out,'' said Bob Crow, supervisor for the Newman Homes crew that was refurbishing buildings at Beach Bungalows. ``You gotta work with gloves, too. That's mostly what slows you down. It's just been cold hands, cold ears, cold nose all day.''
Groundskeeper Ross Cipriano agreed. ``This is the coldest day we've had to work since last winter,'' he said, rubbing his swollen red ears in the whirling wind. ``If it's going to stay this cold, it might as well keep snowing.''
In 1989, residents say, almost a foot of snow dropped on the Outer Banks. The area hasn't had such a snowfall since. So even brief flurries generate excitement and anticipation across the Albemarle.
Some Currituck residents triedto make a snowman with the flakes that fell across their yard over the weekend. By Monday afternoon, the small sculpture bore a sign across its rounded chest: ``On Strike. Where's my Snow?'' One Outer Banks radio station played ``Frosty'' and other weather-related tunes throughout the morning.
Although snow is a welcome novelty to most Southerners, a lack of experience driving on icy roads sometimes hampers people who aren't used to such treacherous conditions, transportation officials said. At least two drivers wrecked on the Wright Memorial Bridge to the Outer Banks on Monday; another had a weather-related accident on the Coinjock bridge, North Carolina Highway Patrol Sgt. A.C. Joyner said. The vehicles were damaged, but the drivers and passengers were unharmed. A truck also overturned in Wanchese - apparently after the driver tried to do a doughnut in the two-lane road, police said.
``Our biggest concern right now is the bridges,'' Joyner said from his Kill Devil Hills station shortly after dark. ``There's some moisture on the roads. And the temperatures will continue to drop. Bridges freeze much more quickly than the roads. And around here, they do get slippery.''
Department of Transportation workers began salting bridges and major roads Monday morning. At 5 p.m., they reported that all area streets were clear and open. Crews planned to be on hand throughout the night in case weather or road conditions worsened.
Power company crews also were busy on the Outer Banks. At about 3 p.m., high wind near the North Carolina and Virginia border caused a short circuit on North Carolina Power Co.'s transmission system that serves the northeastern part of the state. The problem caused low voltage in Dare County, where 18,000 homes and businesses were without electricity for up to an hour.
``We've had better days,'' North Carolina Power's operations assistant, Graham Cecil, said late in the afternoon from his Manteo office. ``We're doing everything we can to get everyone turned back on.''
A gale warning was issued along the Outer Banks Monday. Minor flooding was reported along some soundside areas. But the rough weather caused few problems, Coast Guard officials said.
``It's pretty rough offshore. But as far as boats in transit or anything, it's pretty quiet,'' said Petty Officer Joe Crawford at the Cape Hatteras station.
County officials urged anyone who did not have to be outside in the snow to remain indoors. ``If you have to go out,'' Dare County Emergency Management Director N.H. ``Sandy'' Sanderson said, ``leave early and take your time. Bring blankets with you in case you get stranded somewhere. And watch for icy patches on the bridges.''
The northeastern areas of North Carolina were far less affected by snow than central and western regions of the state.
Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. deployed the North Carolina National Guard to 15 counties and directed the state Department of Transportation to use all available personnel and equipment to clear roads of ice and snow. The Guard used a helicopter to search for three missing campers in the Shining Rock wilderness area of Transylvania County.
Other Guard units delivered generators to police departments without power, helped with emergency medical transports and rescued stranded drivers.
A wind chill advisory for the northern mountains remained in effect into the afternoon, making it feel like 20 degrees below zero in some places, said National Weather Service meteorologist Rick Neuherz.
``We're looking at very little in the way of significant improvement in the roads today and tonight,'' Neuherz said Monday. ``But tomorrow, when it warms up closer to 40 degrees, things should start to improve.''
Fort Bragg, under a veil of ice, gave the day off to most of its 44,000 civilian and military personnel. Interstates 40 and 77 were open statewide throughout the storm. But the Highway Patrol reported treacherous driving conditions Monday on Interstate 95.
At least three deaths in North Carolina, including two traffic fatalities, were blamed on the storm. Slick roads caused hundreds of other minor traffic accidents. ``Mostly they're just minor fender-benders with people trying to drive on this ice,'' said highway patrol spokesman Chris Tant.
An 18-year-old Georgia woman was killed early Sunday on Interstate 40 in Haywood County when the car she was riding in overturned.
In Moore County, a state transportation worker suffered an apparent heart attack and died Sunday after removing a fallen tree from a road near Carthage.
And a 5-year-old Shelby boy died Saturday night in a collision on icy N.C. 266.
The heavy snowfall proved to be a mixed blessing for some North Carolina ski operators. Two feet of new snow fell on Appalachian Ski Mountain over the weekend. But wind chills around 30 below zero and unplowed roads forced the resort to close Monday.
Two feet of snow also fell on Beech Mountain and West Jefferson. And as much as 28 inches of snow was reported in Avery County. Some hospitals around the state requested volunteers with four-wheel drive vehicles to transport patients and medical personnel over the weekend.
State government offices in Raleigh were open Monday. But employees were given the option of taking a personal day off. Thousands did, leaving most offices vacant.
Major airports around the state were open for business. But many carriers canceled or postponed flights. Planes began arriving at Raleigh-Durham International Airport around midmorning, said airport director John Brantley.
Said airport spokesman Rick Martinez, ``With a little bit of luck, we might be back to normal on Wednesday.'' MEMO: Staff writer Anne Saita and The Associated Press contributed to this
report.
ILLUSTRATION: Nice while it lasted
[Color Photos]
DREW C. WILSON
The Virginian-Pilot
Snow did come, but it turned to rain Sunday. On their growing patch
of grass, above, Moyock's Ken Partlow, 33, bundles son Keith, 4.
Right, a snowman made by workers at Currituck's Duck-In began to
melt. It drew the attention of David Garrenton, 18, of Currituck.
KEYWORDS: WINTER STORM BLIZZARD by CNB