THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 11, 1996 TAG: 9609110463
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 42 lines
Tears flowed amid gasps of shock from the audience this week when the North Carolina Highway Patrol showed aerial film of beach homes smashed by Hurricane Fran along the state's southeast coast.
About 1,000 property owners were invited Monday to four TV ``screenings'' in Raleigh by the Highway Patrol to view damage to hard-hit oceanfront homes between Bald Head Island and New River Inlet.
After past hurricanes, many North Carolina oceanfront property owners have been angered when they were initially forbidden to return to inspect damage to their homes.
During pre-storm planning at Highway Patrol headquarters last week, Col. E.W. Horton, the patrol commander, ordered the airborne TV coverage of residential oceanfront damage if Fran came ashore in North Carolina.
``To protect life and property, the damaged beach areas have to be closed after a storm like this and, understandably, this causes a lot of distress for those who want to see what the storm did to their homes,'' said Lt. Johnny Surles, aide to Horton at Patrol Headquarters.``Trooper C.T. Woodard from Troop C in Raleigh flew our helicopter and Trooper Edward Maness handled the video camera. They flew to the area of damage as soon as they could get there Saturday.''
Over the weekend, the Highway Patrol got word to many of the affected property owners that the TV damage tapes would be shown in the Graham Building on the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh on Monday.
``We arranged four showings, and many in the audiences were visibly distressed - crying and shocked - when they left the theater,'' Surles said.
``Even though many were upset when they came away, most seemed grateful for the chance to check the damage,'' the Surles added. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
DREW C . WILSON
The Virginian-Pilot
Paul Harrison works around a 23-inch-thick pine as he strives to put
a temporary roof on his brother's hurricane-damaged house in New
Bern. by CNB