THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 15, 1996 TAG: 9607150032
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 83 lines
Bertha was no more Sunday, having swept into Eastern Canada early in the day and losing its tropical character.
Memories of the storm's visit lingered, however.
The American Red Cross estimated that nearly 180 homes in North Carolina were destroyed and 5,620 were damaged - of which 900 are uninhabitable, Elizabeth Quirk, a spokeswoman, said Sunday.
Outer Banks business owners are trying to recoup. And Sunday, the inevitable ``I survived'' T-shirts started appearing.
Along the Outer Banks, beach umbrellas dotted the sands as tourists returned. At the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, a beach largely deserted on Friday was jam-packed on Sunday.
But there was no break for utility crews. They worked around the clock in both states trying to restore service lost to Bertha. But just when it seemed they were on the verge of finishing, a series of powerful late-afternoon thunderstorms once again threw thousands of homes into darkness.
In North Carolina, about 15,000 customers were still without service Sunday, most in the Wilmington area, a spokesman for Carolina Power & Light Co. said.
In Virginia, service had been restored to all but 40 customers in Virginia Beach by Sunday afternoon. But then the new storms hit, knocking out service to 17,000 customers around Hampton Roads.
``We had just sent people home and now we'll have to call them back,'' said Junius Williams, a Virginia Power spokesman. He said he hoped everything would be fixed by late Sunday.
The fix will come slower for people whose homes and businesses were damaged by Bertha.
In North Carolina, damage estimates are into the double-digit millions and expected to climb rapidly in the next fewdays as officials assess the damage.
Not only did tourism take a direct hit, but communities, counties and the state must bear the cost of repairing damaged roads and public facilities.
And agriculture suffered mightily, said Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. after a daylong coastal tour.
``This is the worst thing I've seen on this trip,'' Hunt said. ``This is so pitiful.''
County and community damage summaries Sunday included:
New Hanover County - Bertha came ashore with winds of 105 mph. The damage estimate is already up to $18 million.
Brunswick County - Three-quarters of the tobacco crop and more than half the corn crop destroyed.
Onslow County - The entire corn crop and half the tobacco crop - valued at $20 million - destroyed.
Carteret County - $18 million.
Swansboro - $11.5 million.
Wrightsville Beach - $700,000.
Topsail Beach - $2 million in property damage, including major damage to 40 homes.
Wilmington - $6.4 million in property damage.
Outer Banks - Business losses during three days of evacuation are estimated at $4.5 million a day.
The next storm of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season? Its name will be Cesar. ILLUSTRATION: Navy ships return to port
CANDICE C. CUSIC
The Virginian-Pilot
On Pier 24, Travis Harmon, 9, of Virginia Beach, waits underneath
the brow while he watches for his father, Petty Officer 1st Class
Brian Harmon, an electrician aboard the guided-missile cruiser
Thomas S. Gates. Forty-eight ships from the Norfolk Naval Base took
part in what the Navy calls a ``storm evasion deployment.'' The
second and final leg of the vessels' arrival was due to conclude
Sunday evening.
THE STORM'S TOLL IN NORTH CAROLINA
180 homes destroyed
(5,620 more damaged - of which 900 are uninhabitable)
15,000 customers without electricity
(most in the Wilmington area)
IN VIRGINIA: Service had been restored to all but 40 customers in
Virginia Beach by Sunday afternoon. But new storms knocked out
service to 17,000 Hampton Roads customers.
SOURCES: American Red Cross, Carolina Power & Light Co., Virginia
Power
KEYWORDS: HURRICANE BERTHA by CNB