iatlu (Tar Uni
M News/I
J®
EBB 106 years of editorial freedom
Serving the students and the University
community since 1893
THE FERVOR BEFORE THE FURY
Following Floyd: Storm
Gets Ready to Go Inland
Hurricane Floyd ravaged the Bahamas on Tuesday,
. leaving in its wake destroyed houses and toppled
: palm trees. It should reach the Triangle on Thursday.
Hurricane Floyd Statistics:
■ A Category 4 storm, Floyd meandered across
the Caribbean this week, kicking up winds of 140
mph and storm surges. Heavy rains and pounding
surf tore up Bahamian beaches. Radar images
show a torrential storm the size of South Carolina.
■ Two million people along the southeastern
coast escaped from Floyd's potential path, backing
traffic up from Florida to South Carolina. As
Triangle residents braced for the storm, area
stores reported running out of bottled water
supplies immediately.
■ Meteorologists expect Floyd to downgrade to
a Category 3 storm by the time it reaches the
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area Thursday.
SOURCE: THE WEATHER CHANNEL
Chapel Hill on Heels
For Hurricane's Hit
As the giant hurricane gets
ready to make its track up
the East Coast, local leaders
say Chapel Hill is prepared.
Bv Tricia Barrios
Staff Writer
As residents prepare for a monster
hurricane barreling towards the
Triangle, Chapel Hill officials say they
are confident the town can withstand
the force of the storm.
Hurricane Floyd, currently a
Category 4 storm, is predicted to hit the
town by Thursday afternoon.
Mayor Rosemary Waldorf said there
was no way to tell what type of damage
the storm might do. “I think we’re real
ly well-prepared,” Waldorf said. “But we
could be facing something very bad.”
Nick Waters, director of emergency
management for Orange County, said
its response would be normal until the
weather reached the point at which
more emergency support was needed.
In the event of an emergency, he
assured town residents that more staff
would be on hand.
Waldorf said she believed the town
learned a great deal from the damage
resulting from Hurricane Fran in 1996.
Trees blocked major roads, water was
undrinkable and the town’s sewage
treatment plant flooded.
The Orange Water and Sewer
UNC Preps
For Tango
With Storm
Director of Public Safety
Derek Poarch says students
should avoid leaving Chapel
Hill before the hurricane.
By Beth O'Brien
Staff Writer
University officials met Tuesday to
hash out plans in preparation for
Hurricane Floyd, which is expected to
pound Chapel Hill sometime Thursday.
Director of Public Safety Derek
Poarch said officials spent most of the
day trying to map out preliminary
action plans
Officials from several campus orga
nizations, including Carolina Dining
Services and the Facilities Planning
Department, met with Poarch and
The afternoon never knows what the morning never suspected.
Swedish Proverb
/ Between Yellow lints
—N. ... '
Authority has allocated generators for
both the water and sewer treatment
plants to avoid a repeat situation, she
said.
Waldorf said an emergency manage
ment protocol plan was in effect, involv
ing emergency officials from UNC,
Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
County fire and police departments
will be on alert, and the town of Chapel
Hill will be connected to emergency
management systems in the state.
Bob Godding, Chapel Hill trans
portation director, said the town’s bus
system would run as usual unless pre
vented by weather conditions.
“If it’s safe to operate on the street, it
will be operating,” Godding said.
Duke Power, which provides power
for most of the area, would handle any
electrical power problems, Waldorf said.
She said the city was working with Duke
Power and would step in to help resi
dents if necessary.
Waldorf said the city would imple
ment some of the same emergency
plans that were used after Hurricane
Fran. Police will visit town neighbor
hoods after Floyd hits, telling residents
about the existing water situation, shel
ter information and other important
emergency news as needed.
Anticipating significant problems in
the area, Town Manager Cal Horton
activated Chapel Hill’s emergency
response system.
See PREPARATION, Page 9
Storm Warnings
Hurricane experts recommend slaying inside during the storm and staying away from doors,
windows and skylights. Stock up on essentials like batteries, canned food and bottled water.
■ Listen constantly to a battery-operated television or
1 radio for breaking reports about the storm.
1 ■ Check emergency supplies. Stock up on bottled water,
1 canned foods and dry goods that won't spoil.
% ■ Turn refrigerators to their lowest possible settings and
1 leave the doors closed.
1
1 ■ Fuel up your car.
1 ■ Stay away from windows, skylights and glass doors.
1 Before the storm hits, tape them up to prevent
1 shattering.
\ ■ Check batteries and flashlights for possible outages.
* Stock up on candles and matches or lighters.
SOURCE THE WEATHER CHANNEL
South Building officials to oudine steps
to prepare for the storm’s arrival.
The group will meet again today to
track the latest developments of the
storm and nail down more detailed safe
ty plans.
“The students, faculty and staff are
the top priority here,” Poarch said. “We
are going to spend most of the evening
on the Internet trying to figure out what
is going on.”
Poarch said students should remain
on campus and avoid trying to leave
Wednesday, September 15, 1999
Volume 107, Issue 74
DTH/MEGAN SHARKEY
. -j , 1 j
, ■* j~>i Mm ~io itq Ftf m t*. IRUMuf* 3 ibT i
DTH/RACHEL LEONARD
Customers line the aisles at Harris Teeter by University Mall in preparation for Hurricane Floyd. It is forecasted to hit the Triangle on Thursday.
DIM. DAN H ELIAS
Chapel Hill.
“We don’t think it’s wise for students
to start for home,” he said.
“This storm is surrounding us in all
directions.”
He said the University would work to
provide appropriate housing for all on
campus residents before the storm hits,
although he did not know whether evac
uations from any campus residence halls
would be necessary.
See SAFETY, Page 9
Governor Declares State of Emergency
As Floyd Thunders Toward Carolinas
Associated Press
Gov. Jim Hunt declared a state of
emergency Tuesday and warned North
Carolinians to prepare for swift, power
ful Hurricane Floyd, which he said
could be one of the worst storms ever to
hit the state.
“We hope
and pray for
the best, but
this looks real
mean,” Hunt
said after a
McCoy to Decide
Today If Classes
Will be Canceled
See Page 5
briefing in the state Emergency
Operations Center in Raleigh. “Protect
yourself and your families. Get out of
harm’s way. Don’t tempt it”
At 11 p.m. Tuesday, the National
New ONE Card Option
Delayed for 2 Months
Officials say problems with
UNC and Wachovia Bank's
software compatibility
forced a later target date.
By Jamila Vernon
Staff Writer
Students might have to put new
UNC ONE Cards on their Christmas
wish lists.
The new feature that would allow stu
dents to use their ONE Cards as
Wachovia ATM cards will not be avail
able until December, despite an original
October deadline, officials said Tuesday.
Wachovia Bank was chosen as the
vendor for the ATM function in July.
Mike Freeman, ONE Card service
director, said the December target date
resulted from problems in changing
UNC’s computer software to make it
compatible with the bank’s software.
Joy Marshall, manager of digital con-
Weather Service reported that the
Category 4 storm was about 130 miles
east-southeast from Cape Canaveral,
Ha., with maximum sustained winds of
up to 140 mph.
Emergency management officials
said the storm’s eye might pass direcdy
over Raleigh on Thursday afternoon.
A hurricane watch was posted
Tuesday for the entire North Carolina
coast and high wind and flash flood
watches for Wednesday night and
Thursday for the western Piedmont and
the Fayetteville and Research Triangle
Park areas. A flood watch was issued for
the coastal plains through Thursday.
The National Weather Service said 40-
mph winds gusting to 60 mph and more
than 5 inches of rain were possible
sumer services for Wachovia, said the
initial dates were always tentative.
The computers at the UNC ONE
Card Office must be able to communi
cate with the Wachovia system so the
bank recognizes the account and can
trace it to die individual’s ONE Card.
Issues concerning the design of the
card have also added to the delay.
Marshall said the office was looking
at several designs until officials found
one that “feels right.”
Freeman said there were at least 15
different card designs the office was con
sidering. For the student card, the inter
locking ‘NC’ design is the most popular,
he said, adding that ONE Cards for the
faculty would only have the University
seal.
“The same information will be
included that was on the old card - the
picture of the Old Well and the student’s
name. However, the bar code and PIN
number will now be on the back,”
See ONE CARD, Page 9
News/Features/Arts/Sports 962-0245
Business/Advertising 962-1163
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
6 1999 DTH Publishing Corp.
All rights reserved.
across a wide swath of the state.
State Public Safety Secretary Richard
Moore said Hoyd’s powerful winds like
ly would arrive Wednesday night ahead
of the main storm.
“Please think about where you’re
going to put your family down to sleep
Wednesday night,” Moore said.
Batteries, botded water and genera
tors vanished from store shelves from
Charlotte to Wilmington as North
Carolinians braced for another hurri
cane to its midsection. Three years ago,
Hurricane Fran inflicted about $6 billion
worth of damage when it raced up
Interstate 40 and into Raleigh.
“We’re completely out of generators,”
See FLOYD, Page 9
I Ik 1 1 I 1 ®
•' •} 44 Wi-- r 1£ f® al M
§j tww 1 r m His&
1 *1
Marital Bliss
Philosophy Professors Jeanette and
Bernard Boxill are an example of UNC
faculty members who have the chance
to both live and work with their
spouses. See Page 11.
Free at Last
The efforts of UNC Amnesty
Internationa! Group 84 over the past
12 years aided in the release of •
political prisoner Nabil Ibrahim from
the Syrian government. See Page 2.
Open for Suggestions
Until Thursday, seniors can offer their
input on the class gift at the DTH’s
online site at www.unc.edu/dth. Results
will be published Friday. Ballots are also
available in the DTH office.
Today’s Weather
Rain and Wind;
Low 80s.
Thursday. Rain;
Low 70s.
j ■