THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 8, 1995 TAG: 9509080480
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
More than 30 Navy personnel on the island of Antigua survived Hurricane Luis unscathed by huddling in a shelter for 27 hours. Most of their homes on the tiny base did not survive.
The 30 had the grim chore Thursday of notifying family members who were evacuated to Norfolk in advance of the storm that they can't return.
Most lost all but the few possessions they managed to take with them - wedding photos, baby toys and a week's supply of clothing.
Ironically, the Navy had planned to close the U.S. Naval Support Facility in Antigua in December. Spouses and children were to have moved out next month.
For Lt. Mike Watt, the base supply officer who became the evacuation officer responsible for the 31 evacuees in Norfolk, the timing was all wrong.
He brought his wife and 10-month-old child with him to Norfolk Sunday. Watt was to move to a new job in Norfolk this week.
``We were scheduled to pack out on Tuesday, the same day the storm hit,'' he said.
They have since learned that the roof on their two-story home was blown away. They aren't certain what they lost.
``It's not a total loss,'' said Lt. Cmdr. Susan Ficklin, commanding officer of the small base. ``But the base is in pretty rough shape.''
Speaking by telephone Thursday, Ficklin said that 16 of the 28 family housing units on the base were condemned after losing their roofs to 165 mph winds. Ten of the newest structures survived but have water damage.
In addition, the base lost three main buildings when their roofs caved in. Another 14 buildings survived, but all have at least a quarter of an inch of water inside.
The 700-mile-wide storm left at least three people dead on Antigua, with another 10 deaths reported elsewhere in its path.
Ficklin said nearly 160 people stayed inside an Air Force Tracking Station on base to ride out the storm: 31 Navy personnel from the base, 85 Royal British Marines, 25 Air Force civilian personnel and their dependents and 17 Peace Corps workers.
``It was cozy,'' she said, noting that the facility was the newest building on the island and had been rated for 150 mph winds. It still lost one-third of its roof when 165 mph gusts tore into it.
The shelter had been stocked on Sunday with food, water, generators and communications gear.
``We went in there at (2 p.m.) Monday . . . and the first time we were able to come out was (5:30 p.m.) Tuesday,'' she said. But they remained outside only 30 minutes before being forced to return to the shelter.
The base had been a beautiful facility, with nearby beaches, close families and friends, ``a typical tropical West Indies island and just a great assignment,'' said Ficklin.
``There's barely a leaf left on any of the trees now. It looks like winter.''
Coast Guard Lt. j.g. John Whittemore, who arrived in Norfolk with his wife and two children, said he understands the roof on their home also was lost. They, too, escaped with ``baby stuff, toys, diapers, pictures and stuff we couldn't replace,'' said Whittemore.
His family moved to Antigua four months ago from Baltimore.
``We were not really concerned about hurricanes when we first moved down there. We were more concerned about the movement of our furniture,'' he said.
Fortunately, he has insurance.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Tom Plunkett, an electrician, fled the island with his wife, Regina. He was being transferred to Norfolk, but will return with other Navy personnel in the next day or so to help with repairs.
``There's a lot of work to do. Poles are down, transformers on the ground. There's no power, no plumbing,'' he said.
All of the evacuees praised the Navy for providing lodging and food supplies for them. They have been issued special funds allowing them to relocate to ``safe havens'' elsewhere in the United States.
``We got our checks two hours ago,'' said Plunkett. ``People have been great to us. Everybody came to me.''
KEYWORDS: HURRICANE LUIS U.S. NAVY ANTIGUA by CNB