THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 1, 1996 TAG: 9609010079
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CATHERINE KOZAK AND PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITERS
LENGTH: 98 lines
To the joy of Outer Banks merchants braced for a business wipe-out on the last big-bucks weekend of the summer, Hurricane Edouard didn't turn out to be a bogeyman after all.
Although the monster storm lurked over the horizon in the Atlantic on Saturday, tourists filled restaurants, hotels and stores all along the barrier islands.
``We've been slammed today,'' said Rick Fulmore, a bartender at Rundown Cafe in Kitty Hawk, using the popular term for a packed house. ``I didn't think it would be so busy. Apparently, people are either curious, or just coming down for the weekend and they're taking their chances.''
Rundown Cafe waiter Michael Montiel said business appeared to be better than last Labor Day weekend, when only a fraction of the tourists chased off by Hurricane Felix in late August trickled back to the beach.
With the sun shining much of Saturday, visitors cruised the oceanside on bikes, basked in the sun on porches and widow's walks, and parked beach chairs safely behind the roiling surf. Beach strollers squinted into sand-sharpened winds whipped Hurricane Edouard.
The center of attention for days as it packed 140 mph winds, the storm plowed steadily north beyond the danger point, and about noon Outer Banks emergency officials sounded the good news - no evacuation was necessary.
``We're in a baby-sitting mode right now,'' said Emergency Control Group Chairman Clarence Skinner. ``We're going to continue to watch the storm to make sure it doesn't do something strange on us. We estimate that by Sunday morning, it will be past u in a baby-sitting mode right now,'' said Emergency Control Group Chairman Clarence Skinner. ``We're going to continue to watch the storm to make sure it doesn't do something strange on us. We estimate that by Sunday morning, it will be past us.''
That was good news for Pat Holland, a Virginia Beach retiree who summers in Kill Devil Hills with her husband.
``We'll stay,'' she said.
Holland, returning from a grocery shopping trip, said no one seemed particularly concerned about Edouard - no stocking up or long lines were evident.
``They've probably got things left over from Bertha,'' Holland said, laughing. Hurricane Bertha's threat prompted the evacuation of the barrier islands early in July, but the storm turned inland before reaching the Outer Banks.
A sign of officials' upbeat mood was the reversal of an earlier decision to close National Park Service campgrounds on Hatteras Island.
Despite the encouraging forecasts, some motels, hotels and cottages had ``Vacancy'' signs out, but many of them were filled by walk-in customers.
R.V. Owens III, owner of a popular Nags Head restaurant, said his business was packed Friday night.
``I knocked it in the ditch Friday night,'' Owens said Saturday afternoon. ``I was busy as a dog. I think today it's going to fall down some. I looked up and down the Beach Road, there're vacancy signs. The real tale for travelers is going to be Sunday.''
Pam Gladden, whose family owns the 30-room Blue Heron Motel, said that while Edouard's threat caused some cancellations, the empty rooms were quickly filled.
At the 113-room Quality Inn-Sea Oatel in Nags Head, only a few vacancies were reported.
At the Holiday Inn Express in Kitty Hawk, the report was largely the same from a manager: ``We don't have a lot of vacancies, and we haven't had a lot of cancellations.''
Meanwhile, at the Dare County Tourist Bureau, it was a typical summer Saturday.
``We really haven't had that many calls,'' said Dorothy Henderson, a tourist representative at the bureau. ``It's been business as usual.''
Beaches remained open for walkers and surfers. But swimming was again restricted as red flags continued to fly. Lifeguards urged the daring away from the surging waters.
But for one Marine, the lure of big waves was strong. California native Jon Ohman drove from Quantico in northern Virginia to catch the waves. Saturday, he was sittin' on top of the world.
He watched news reports, and ``decided surfing in those big waves would be a good way to spend the weekend,'' Ohman said. ``It didn't look like the hurricane would hit, so I drove on down.''
Skip Brown of Cabin John, Md., let air out of his tires so he could drive on the beach at Oregon Inlet to windsurf. Brown had four hulls lashed to the roof of his Ford Explorer.
``I just got down this morning,'' Brown said. ``I came down 'specially for the hurricane. It stays offshore and creates lots of waves and wind.''
Some, like John Thorpe, an employee at Jennette's Fishing Pier, blamed the news media for scaring tourists away. About 20 fishermen were landing pompano and drum from the pier.
``The storm isn't a problem,'' he said. ``It isn't going to come here. The biggest problem we have is with the news media. They scare everybody away. Overall we've had a good day.''
But Owens praised The Weather Channel - criticized for its coverage of Hurricane Bertha - for its handling of Edouard. The cable channel urged would-be vacationers not to cancel their plans.
And the storm didn't stop a professional wrestling show at an outdoor ring behind the Soundside Restaurant in Buxton. About 200 fans turned out to cheer 450-pound Big Slam Vader, Poison Ivy and Cueball Carmichael.
``We had a few cancellations'' of wrestlers, said Leona McBride, a waitress at the restaurant. ``They were scared. Big ol' wrestlers scared of a storm.''
KEYWORDS: HURRICANES TROPICAL STORMS HURRICANE
EDOUARD by CNB