THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, July 12, 1996                 TAG: 9607120469
SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A12  EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   57 lines

SHOPPERS RANGE FROM SENTINELS TO SKEPTICS THOUGH WATER AND OTHER SUPPLIES WERE SELLING, MANY FOLKS REFUSED TO FRET.

Somewhere between meats and dairy, their carts - and priorities - crossed paths: one was loaded down for Hurricane Bertha, the other for a barbecue.

``By tomorrow there's going to be haves and have nots,'' said Marcus Daniel as he and his wife prepared for a possible visit from the hurricane. ``I'll be one of the haves.''

He had 5 gallons of water, a stack of canned goods, two 9-volt batteries, paper goods and two six-packs of Miller Lite. ``Hey, a guy's gotta have some fun,'' he said.

Daniel, 23, was not alone Thursday as many residents headed to the stores to stock up on essentials ranging from non-perishable foods to home repair materials.

Many were heeding warnings that hurricane conditions might threaten the area by tonight. And it didn't hurt any that there already was a feel of a storm in the offing.

Skies were gray Thursday, with a fairly steady breeze and occasional showers. Although the weather wasn't related to Bertha, it was enough to make some people wonder - and worry. But not everyone.

While Daniel hunted down essential supplies at a Farmer Jack at Military Highway and Providence Road in Virginia Beach, other shoppers were simply on their usual Thursday jaunt through the supermarket.

And some were preparing for something far different from disaster.

``We have company coming in Friday night for the weekend, and we're going to have a backyard party Saturday,'' Lisa Perry, 26, of Virginia Beach said. ``I've lived here 15 years and never seen a hurricane hit. They always go out to sea - just like Felix'' in 1995. ``The news just likes to get everyone riled up for no reason.''

Perry wasn't interested in tossing a jug of water in with her party goods. ``Nothing's going to happen,'' she said.

If she changes her mind, she might have trouble finding water later. Jugs of water - always in high demand when major storms threaten - were among the fastest-disappearing items Thursday.

``We've got a truckload of water coming down from Baltimore,'' said John Norsk, co-manager of the Farmer Jack. Another big seller, he said, was batteries.

At a nearby Food Lion, the story was similar. Many people were getting ready, but a significant number were not.

``I'll come back later if I need to,'' said Sherrie Harrah of Chesapeake, ``but I still have a lot of stuff left over from Felix and this storm - what's its name, Bert? Bertha? - doesn't seem as dangerous, from what I've heard.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Delmar La Grant Jr. leans over a Sandbridge bulkhead as a wave

crashes against it. His son, Delmar La Grant III, holds onto his

legs while he does some routine repair to the bulkhead in

anticipation of Bertha.

KEYWORDS: HURRICANE BERTHA PREPARATIONS by CNB