THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 13, 1996 TAG: 9607130182
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: 48 lines
Outer Banks visitors whose rental agreements for cottages, homes and motel rooms start this weekend will be allowed to enter the Outer Banks, Dare County officials said Friday.
However, they will do so at their own risk.
Clarence Skinner, chairman of the Dare County Control Group, said no steps would be taken to restrict entry to the county. But visitors can call county officials at (919) 473-3355 after today's 6:30 a.m. meeting of the control group for an update on any restrictions.
``At this moment we have no plans to set up restrictions to traffic within the county,'' Skinner said.
Skinner said employees of local businesses who live in Currituck County will not be prohibited from coming to work at businesses that remain open.
Jennifer Jackson, the rentals manager for Sun Realty in Duck, said her office has received few cancellations of rentals that were scheduled to begin today.
``I think the vacationing public is taking a wait-and-see attitude,'' Jackson said. ``All we can do is watch and wait.''
Jackson said Sun Realty is urging vacationers who have rented cottages to monitor the storm.
``It's difficult because in some areas they don't get the same coverage that we get here,'' she said. ``How do you get information to folks who are in different areas. We want them to watch The Weather Channel so they'll know as much as we know.''
Jackson said Sun Realty's rental agreement provides that in the event of a mandatory evacuation, renters will receive a refund for each day the order is in effect.
Though refund policies for real estate agencies vary, Judy Beard of Outer Banks Resort Rentals, a time share agency, said her company has the same provision in case of a mandatory evacuation order.
``As long as the evacuation is mandatory, we determine the refund on a pro rata basis,'' she said. ``If the evacuation order is in effect for one day, we refund one-seventh. If it's two days, two-sevenths.''
Amy Helle, escrow bookkeeper for Hatteras Realty, said the company maintains a similar refund policy for as long as the mandatory evacuation is in effect.
``When the evacuation order is lifted, we'll allow people to come in,'' Helle said. ``We manage 220 properties, and we've only had one cancellation.''
KEYWORDS: HURRICANE BERTHA by CNB