THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 13, 1996 TAG: 9607130177
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 75 lines
Should we be in full panic mode or a more laid-back tropical storm form?
Heading west or renting videos for a relaxing evening at home?
Canceling weekend plans or holding out that Bertha, like all the hurricane threats in recent years, will fizzle out before she gets here?
Friday was a push-me, pull-me kind of day for most Hampton Roads families. Every weather report alternately caused a catch in the heart or a sigh of relief.
``It's weakening,'' one report said.
``Gathering strength,'' said the next.
``Slowing down,'' came another, then ``Speeding up.''
Like a cat playing with a mouse, Bertha teased us a little on her way to Hampton Roads.
Ambivalence was the name of the game.
Ann and Leo Legidakes of Virginia Beach had the right idea, at least early in the day.
They were lounging with their children at a nearly deserted park at Mount Trashmore Friday morning.
Panic not, was their attitude, even though they had just been evacuated from Navy housing at Dam Neck. They had planned to take their two children to New Jersey this weekend, to return their niece to her parents, but Bertha changed those plans.
``We're waiting it out to see whether we can go back home or whether we'll have to get a hotel,'' said Ann Legidakes. ``But we're having fun waiting. We went to the book store, came here and we might even go to a movie next.''
The threat of Bertha may have toppled some people's plans and put others on edge, but Debbie Taylor and her 5-year-old son, Brian, also saw Bertha's silver lining.
``When there's no hurricane this place is packed,'' Taylor said as she sat watching her son play at Kid's Cove. ``When we drove by I said, `Look, Brian, no kids, let's go.' ''
But once the rain began, life with Bertha began to look a little less fun in Hampton Roads.
Lorraine Nute and her two daughters, Jessica, 13, and Kathryn, 10, decided to take the storm a tad more seriously than the Taylors, just in case the ``gathering-strength'' version of the weather report turned out to be the right one. First, they canceled their pool plans. Then they went emergency-supply shopping, and finally a stop at Blockbuster to get some videos.
``I get a little hyped when something like this happens,'' Kathryn said. ``Especially when you think about those movies with hurricanes.''
Her mother said: ``You're thinking about `Twister.' That's a tornado.''
When you're in the middle of either one, there's not a lot of difference.
Even though most people in the area weren't in panic mode Friday, Bertha was the topic of discussion, no matter where you went. In the calm coolness of the Virginia Beach Central Library, Dawn Patterson tried to see the irony of her situation.
She had left her home in Florida, which managed to avoid this latest hurricane, only to get here in time for Bertha to be knocking on her sister's door in Virginia Beach, where she's vacationing.
``I can't believe it,'' she said. A trip to the library wasn't quite the visit to Williamsburg she had planned for the day, but she was taking it in stride.
Even for people who didn't have anything exciting planned Friday or for the weekend, Bertha kept them guessing.
The Odendhal family of Norfolk hadn't planned on doing anything special, but Bertha still threatened a leisurely weekend. Shawn Odendhal works for Virginia Power, so if electricity lines went down he figured he'd be putting in extra hours.
``We're just waiting to see,'' he said.
Just like everyone else.
Pack bags or settle in? Tie down garbage cans or pop in a video? Cancel the outdoor party or hope Bertha books on outta here?
By the time you read this, you'll already know.
Hope you made the right choice.
KEYWORDS: HURRICANE BERTHA by CNB