THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, February 5, 1996 TAG: 9602050032
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE AND TOM SHEAN, STAFF WRITERS
LENGTH: Long : 185 lines
As if encased in crystal, Hampton Roads sparkled Sunday as nature briefly relented and the sun broke through, melting some snow and ice on area roads and prodding people outdoors to squeeze fun out of a storm that has brought mostly misery.
But beauty will yield to the beast this morning as bitter cold threatens a new round of highway mayhem.
With temperatures expected to dip into the single digits overnight - and remain below freezing today - travel will be treacherous on most area roads. Because of that, most schools, many military bases and some businesses will be closed today.
That should lighten the load on area roads where, despite 'round-the-clock efforts by highway crews, Saturday's half-foot snowfall on top of Friday's ice storm left most roads coated with snow, ice and slush. Only the interstate system was reasonably clear by Sunday evening; city streets and secondary roads remained a slippery mess.
Area police departments reported a steady stream of problems ranging from multicar accidents to motorists skidding into ditches.
``It was beautiful coming into work and seeing all those ice trees glistening,'' Lynne Bailey, a supervisor in the Virginia Beach emergency communications center, said Sunday. ``But it ain't been beautiful in here,'' where calls for help were fielded all day.
Even maneuvering the slopes of Mount Trashmore proved dangerous as more than a dozen fun-seekers landed in hospitals Sunday afternoon after sledding accidents. Officials announced that the park was closed and police sealed off the parking area, but people arriving on foot were able to sled.
Across Virginia, at least four deaths were blamed on the weather, but none in Hampton Roads.
The beauty of the silvery landscape was of little solace for the tens of thousands of area residents enduring a second day without electricity.
In southeastern Virginia, where 138,000 customers were without power early Saturday, crews had restored power to all but 27,600 homes and businesses by 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Virginia Power spokesman Bill Byrd said.
Bruce Hunter was among those who remained in the dark as the sun set Sunday.
``It's like being a pioneer,'' said Hunter, 29. ``We've been coping since Friday at 5 p.m.,'' when the lights at his home on Laurel View Drive in Virginia Beach went out.
``As we speak, I have a grill outside cooking hot dogs and I'm boiling some water for coffee,'' said Hunter, an office manager.
He said life without television, lights and other benefits of electricity hasn't been too difficult - ``just boring.'' He and his mother passed the time playing board games. At night, sleeping bags piled on top of blankets and sheets created extra warmth.
``I figured, at the most, we'd have the lights back by Saturday morning,'' Hunter said. But he wasn't angry.
Virginia Power repair crews continued working Sunday to restore service to neighborhoods throughout Hampton Roads that had lost electricity.
``We're making good progress, but we're still saying that we probably will not get power restored to everyone until Wednesday,'' said Junius Williams, a spokesman for the utility company.
Repairs to restore service to large numbers of customers have largely been completed. The remaining outages represent small pockets - one, two or three homes at a time in many cases.
Williams attributed most of the outages to trees and ice-laden tree limbs falling across power lines. In some cases, an accumulation of ice has caused power lines to break.
While power outages brought a halt to business activity throughout much of Hampton Roads, the loss of electricity triggered a burst of activity at Womble Generators Inc., a Suffolk company that rents and repairs electric generators.
``We've had quite a few calls from private residences and small businesses,'' said Curt Womble, the company's president. The company rented out about a dozen small generators, including some to chicken farmers in Suffolk.
The demand was even greater for service personnel, who spent the weekend repairing generators already installed at hospitals and municipal facilities in the region.
Womble praised Virginia Power's repair crews for the speed with which they restored service. But, he said jokingly, ``I wish they weren't as quick as they are.''
They weren't quick enough for some folks, however. That was the complaint of some callers to WNIS radio on Sunday as people left in the dark and cold vented their frustration during call-in programs.
``It's been about half and half,'' said Ken Johnson, who took calls during his show Sunday. ``Half are upset at delays getting power back and wonder why it's taking so long. Half are praising the power company for their work.''
The coldest air this winter - and some of the chilliest weather in years - could be felt early today, with the mercury expected to dip into the single digits or low teens overnight, the National Weather Service warned.
It won't be much warmer tonight, either.
``These conditions will be dangerous for anyone outside for long periods,'' the Weather Service said.
People who must go outside for any length of time should wear several layers of clothing rather than one thick layer.
A large Arctic high pressure area centered over the lower Mississippi River Valley late Sunday was expected to build eastward, reaching the mid-Atlantic states this morning.
Low temperatures this morning will range from 0 to 5 degrees above zero for most of the eastern half of Virginia and Northeast North Carolina with the immediate coastal areas being about 5 to 10 degrees warmer.
With winds averaging 10 to 20 mph, however, wind chills of zero to 15 degrees below zero were expected overnight.
The mercury is not expected to get above freezing today, and that could result in exposed water pipes freezing. Plumbers are advising people to leave water faucets dripping to avoid problems.
Fun turned dangerous at Mount Trashmore Sunday, where hundreds of people slid down the snow-covered hillsides. Most sledded without incident, but 20 people were hurt and a dozen of them had to be taken to hospitals.
``We set up shop at noon and took our first patient at 12:15,'' said Capt. Ed Brazle of the Kempsville Volunteer Rescue Squad, which provided a dozen volunteer medics.
Injuries ranged from the minor - cuts and bruises - to the serious, including broken bones and internal injuries.
Most of the injuries resulted when children sledded into fences or collided with other sledders. One elderly man was hurt when a sledder ran him down.
Those incidents, and others resulting in injuries Saturday, persuaded authorities to discourage people from taking to the slopes. At 1 p.m., the city announced that it was closing the park, and police blocked access to the parking area. But no effort was made to bar sledders who walked into the park.
``It's a fun thing to do and people still came and we're in the business of helping people have fun,'' said Susie Walston, director of parks and recreation for the city.
She said that the city wanted to send a message: Sledders take to the slopes at their own risk.
Mount Trashmore is officially closed today.
Authorities also warned Sunday that people should not venture onto frozen lakes or ponds. In most cases the ice is not thick enough to support a person's weight.
But there's plenty of fun to be had on solid ground anyway.
On Sunday, yards across the region sported all sorts of snow sculptures and structures - not to mention the typical crop of snowmen.
At Town Point Park in Norfolk, cross-country skiers sliced through the snow. And many empty parking lots became four-wheel skating rinks as drivers spun their wheels and careened in circles, kicking of white clouds of snow as they spun around.
Shelters were shuttered Sunday in Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach for lack of use.
In Portsmouth, five people turned up at Wilson High School on Friday night and an equal number showed up Saturday, said Bruce Sterling, deputy coordinator of emergency services for the city.
Most of the Portsmouth residents displaced by the power outages ``had friends or relatives to go to, and others checked into motels,'' Sterling said.
In Virginia Beach, shelter personnel helped individuals find warm accommodations elsewhere. No one showed up at the shelter at Larkspur Middle School, said Mark Marchbank, the city's deputy coordinator for emergency management.
Norfolk's Scope operated the region's only busy shelter, where 60 people spent Saturday night. It remained open Sunday.
One of those staying at Scope was Mary Doyal, a Petersburg resident who was stranded after attending a funeral in Norfolk. Doyal was waiting for the Greyhound-Trailways bus lines to resume service.
The bus company, which halted service from its downtown Norfolk station Friday morning, hoped to be back on schedule today, Tracey Keeling, the station's lead customer service representative, said. ILLUSTRATION: B\W Photo L. TODD SPENCER
Mike Mercado was one of the many sledders who made it up - and down
- Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach on Sunday. After a slew of
sledding injuries, police closed off the parking lot but didn't try
to keep revelers off the hill.
Color photo by BILL TIERNAN/The Virginian-Pilot
Icicles frame a chilly view of the downtown Norfolk waterfront
Sunday, where temperatures remained well below freezing all day.
Color photo by HUY NGUYEN\ The Virginian-Pilot
What to do when you're stuck at home and surrounded by snow? Rose
Schaeffer of Norfolk's Hague area dodged snowballs hurled by dad
Mike, who had just shoveled the walk.
Color photo by VICKI CRONIS/ The Virginian-Pilot
Nathaniel T. Ralosky, 2, naps at the Red Cross shelter at Scope,
where he and his mother sought refuge after they lost power in their
Norview home.
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KEYWORDS: WEATHER by CNB