THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 14, 1996 TAG: 9607140043
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 73 lines
In the wild, wet darkness before Saturday's dawning, more than 150 emergency power company linemen shuttled between Virginia and North Carolina in a struggle to keep the lights on while Bertha shouldered her way up the coast.
And, in a move to speed storm damage repairs and ease homeowner frustration, the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management announced some building permit fees will be waived for the next 30 days to get reconstruction started on storm damage.
Saturday arrived with classically beautiful post-hurricane weather, and repair trucks from North Carolina Power and Virginia Power swarmed over the Albemarle to start repairs.
Both utilities abided by strict rules to keep repair crews off the high voltage lines until the most dangerous weather conditions had abated.
``This time we prepared earlier to handle outages after the storm made a landfall on the coast below Wilmington,'' said Dave Shelton, a North Carolina Power community representative based in Roanoke Rapids.
``At one point, we had 8,198 customers without service in northeastern North Carolina,'' said Shelton, ``By Saturday morning, 2,800 customers were still without power. All of them should have service restored by early Sunday.''
``We had one major problem when a large transformer kicked out at a substation in Plymouth after an overload - probably a short circuit caused by a fallen tree limb,'' Shelton said.
The easing of the building permit rules was viewed as a move by CAMA to improve public relations. In the aftermath of some recent coastal storms, CAMA's red tape has not won praise from homeowners whose property has been damaged or destroyed.
Roger Schecter, director of CAMA, said he was sending field agents into the areas of coastal damage.
``We realize this is going to be a tough time for many people,'' said Schecter.
The CAMA agents will in some cases be authorized to issue permits on the spot ``and fees for many of the permits for the repairs will be waived,'' he said.
CAMA officials said the most frequent questions they encounter include:
``Can I repair or rebuild a damaged soundside bulkhead?''
Maybe, and you may need a permit. Call your local CAMA office.
``Can I repair or rebuild my pier, dock or boathouse?''
You need a permit if more than half the structure needs repair or replacement.
``Can I bulldoze the beach to create new dunes to protect my home?''
You DO NOT need a CAMA permit if you bulldoze only on the dry sand beach. You DO need a permit if you want to bulldoze on the wet sand beach or if you want to bulldoze on an undeveloped lot.
``Can I use sandbags to protect my home?''
If erosion is within 20 feet of the foundation of your home, you probably are eligible for temporary sandbags. You can't leave sandbags in place indefinitely. Check with your local CAMA office. ILLUSTRATION: HUY NGUYEN color photos/The Virginian-Pilot
Kevin Jackson, at left above, shields his face from blowing rain as
Kerry Hooper packs up their truck after stopping to repair power
lines during the passing of Hurricane Bertha in Avon Friday.
At right, they hoist themselves up in a bucket amid high winds and
heavy rain to reach damaged lines.
Graphic
CALLING CAMA
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm]
KEYWORDS: HURRICANE BERTHA AFTERMATH NORTH CAROLINA by CNB