THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 30, 1996 TAG: 9608300560
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B01 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY CATHERINE KOZAK, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 76 lines
Concern about Hurricane Edouard and the early start of fall classes at many schools has left Outer Banks innkeepers and shopkeepers with their fingers crossed heading into the final big weekend of the tourist season.
Labor Day weekend hotel bookings on the Outer Banks were below normal Thursday, but last-minute arrivals may brighten an otherwise dismal holiday business forecast, tourism and business officials said Thursday. It all depends on the course of the monster storm out in the Atlantic.
``It makes people think twice before making a firm commitment,'' said Angie Daniels, spokeswoman for the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce. ``If things change at the last minute, they may fill up.''
Although Hurricane Edouard is hundreds of miles from North Carolina, the storm is already being felt off the Carolina coast. Red flags were flying Thursday on beaches from Duck through Nags Head, indicating that the surf was too dangerous for swimming.
Other beaches on the Outer Banks don't post warning flags.
About 6 inches of ocean water flooded low-lying portions of North Carolina Route 12 on Hatteras Island, caused by a combination of wind-driven surf and high tides Thursday.
Surfers, meanwhile, have been swarming to area beaches to ride coveted hurricane swells.
With three big storms stacked up in the Atlantic, ocean rescue personnel said they expect the ocean will remain rough for some time.
Of the approximately 100 Chamber of Commerce members that provide rooms, only 15 are full, Daniels said. ``That's not very high - that's not normal at all,'' Daniels said. A typical holiday weekend should have only five or six available accommodations, she said.
Although most people seem to be waiting to see what direction Hurricane Edouard will take before they cancel their reservations, the storms have undoubtedly had a negative effect on plans to visit the barrier islands, said a spokeswoman for the Dare County Tourist Bureau.
``We are so impacted by the weather,'' said Rebecca Moore. ``It's unfortunate, because this is summer's last hurrah.''
Moore said the tourist bureau is advising callers asking about the hurricane to stay tuned to media reports. But there's no ``mass hysteria'' from the public, she said, and few people are canceling their plans.
The entire Southeast region has suffered soft business this summer, especially in July, according to a recent report by Lyealy Agency, a private marketing firm.
The North Carolina-based advertising firm cited several reasons for the decreased tourism:
People stayed away from Georgia because they expected huge crowds from the Olympics.
A national travel service had advised travelers to avoid the entire Southeast, particularly I-95 and I-85.
The cooler, wetter weather discouraged visitors.
Carol O'Neal, the receptionist at Ocracoke Island's Pony Island Motel, also blamed the Olympics and the early start of the school year for discouraging travel.
``I've been pretty busy, but I still haven't booked everything,'' she said about the upcoming weekend. But barring an evacuation, O'Neal said, she is confident the rooms will fill up quickly with walk-in guests.
Holiday traffic should be smooth this weekend. Construction projects on U.S. Route 168 in Currituck County will be shut down over the holiday, and travelers into Roanoke Island from North Carolina Route 64 are not expected to experience any delays, said Neil Lassiter, division construction engineer for the state Department of Transportation.
``We've found that this year, the traffic is heavy, but steady,'' Lassiter said. ``There should be no tie-ups unless we have an accident.'' ILLUSTRATION: DREW C. WILSON/
The Virginian-Pilot
Color
Traffic moves slowly Thursday through a watery section of highway on
the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.
KEYWORDS: HURRICANE EDOUARD by CNB