THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 6, 1996 TAG: 9609060542
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RODANTHE LENGTH: 38 lines
Hurricane Fran was still far offshore when Outer Banks entrepreneurs began reaping profits from its presence.
By mid-afternoon Thursday, Todd Rinderknecht had sold at least two dozen ``I Survived Hurricane FRAN'' shirts. One woman brought back the similar shirt she bought last week when Hurricane Edouard hovered harmlessly off the coast - and asked if Fran's name could be added to the decal, beneath Edouard. Rinderknecht gladly obliged.
``I guess right now all they've survived, really, is the chaos of people leaving,'' said the manager of Hatteras T-shirt Outlet, ironing the name of the latest hurricane on the white shirt as a slight drizzle began to fall. ``But most everyone who's buying them is on their way off the island. So they'll survive, surely.''
Rinderknecht and his assistant, Suzie Nichols, knew there would be a demand for Fran memorabilia even if the hurricane never hit the coast.
But they didn't have time to create a new T-shirt design before tourists began heading home. So they cut the name out of decals they'd drawn in July for Hurricane Bertha and added FRAN in individual letters.
Dennis Langlois didn't mind the make-shift print. ``I collect `hurricane hit here' shirts,'' he said, waiting in line to purchase his newest acquisition.
``I've got at least 10 of them so far. And I figured, might as well get the shopping done today before this whole place blows away.''
Langlois and Alan Zarfos had hoped the hurricane would hover just offshore, producing waves.
The mid-30s surfers drove from Pompano Beach, Fla., seeking swells. They got three days' worth of rides in before the waves became too choppy.
``We're not leaving unless they make us,'' Zarfos said.
``We've got the shirts to prove we stayed.''
KEYWORDS: HURRICANE FRAN HURRICANES AFTERMATH by CNB