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Twenty-seventh Year, Number 47 ?"??? nit wwwwck ?cacow ShaHotte, North Carolina, Thursday, September 28, 1989 250 Per Copy 34 Pages, 3 Sections
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oeacnes riCKing up
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neces Mirer nui i ilui 16 SiUQO
BY RAHN ADAMS
"Now when you speak of Camille
and Hazel, you'll also have to speak
of Hugo," was how Shalloltc Point
meteorologist Jackson Canady sum
med up the hurricane that last
Thursday night ravaged the Bruns
wick County coastline.
While southeastern North Caro
lina escaped the brunt of Hugo's
devastating blow to the Carolinas
simply because the hurricane ? with
135-mph winds and a massive
storm surge ? made landfall near
Charleston, S.C., Brunswick Coun
ty's beaches sustained an estimated
$89 million in damage.
Jim Herstine, regional director of
the N.C. Division of Coastal
Management office in Wilmington,
indicated Tuesday that between 150
and 200 structures on the county's
three hardest-hit beaches ? Holdcn
Beach, Ocean Isle and Long
Beach ? could be classified as being
in "imminent danger" due to last
week's storm.
Officials late Tuesday were wait
ing to hear if Brunswick County
would be added to a list of North
Carolina counties eligible for feder
al disaster aid. After surveying
storm damage across the state, Gov.
Jim Martin requested the disaster
designation Saturday. Mecklenburg,
Union, Gaston and Lincoln counties
Monday night were declared federal
disaster areas.
According to Buddy Jackson of
the N.C. Division of Emergency
Management, efforts were under
way luesday lo have the Federal
Emergency Management Agency
add Brunswick to that list. "Hope
fully it won't be too long before we
hear something from that agency,"
he said.
But when the designation had not
come by late Tuesday, Brunswick
County Emergency Management
Coordinator Cecil Logan said,
"We're checking to see what the
holdup is. If we don't get it (the
designation) tomorrow, wc may not
get one."
Logan and Brunswick County
Tax Administrator Boyd William
son listed damage estimates at indi
vidual beaches as follows: Long
Beach, $36,470,000; Holdcn Beach.
$30 million; Ocean Isle, $15 mil
lion; Bald Head Island, $5 million;
Yaupon Beach, $2,335,000; and
Caswell Beach, $25,000.
Sunset Beach developer and town
councilman Ed Gore said Sunset
Beach's only structural damage was
to its fishing pier, with damage esti
mated at $350,000.
But at 3 p.m. last Thursday, simi
larities between Hugo and Hurri
cane Hazel ? the infamous stoim
that made landfall in Brunswick
County and wiped the southeastern
North Carolina coastline clean in
October 1954 ? brought dismay to
many coastal residents.
"For a while there, the storm had
SCtU^!!y turned to north /lnu)?rl
Myrtle Beach, S.C.)," Canady said,
"but our good fortune in our part of
the world was that it kept its north
westerly track."
If the hurricane had made landfall
in the Georgetown, S.C., area ? 60
(See BEACHES, Page 2-A)
?C~ * '
STAFf mora BY EDD4E SWtATT
THIS WAS THE SCENE Saturday afternoon at the corner of Ocean Boulevard West and Lions Paw Drive, where sand washed from the strand and underneath oceanfront cottages
had to be bulldozed to the side to clear the roads. At left is the Lonnie Small cottage and the one on the right is the Blalock cottage.
Hurricane Batters Holden Beach Oceanfront
BY DOUG RUTTER
Holdcn Beach Mayor John Tandy
says bad luck is the only explana
tion for the damage caused there by
Hurricane Hugo.
"It's the same thing with a torna
do," he said. "You don't know
where it will causc the damage.
There is no reason why we were hit
harder by this thing than the other
beaches other than bad luck."
Although some areas of the
island were harmed more than oth
ers, the Town of Holden Beach sus
tained more damage than Ocean Isle
Beach and Sunset Beach combined.
Building Inspector Dwight Car
roll offered $3 1 million as a conser
vative estimate for the storm dam
age. But he said it may be several
weeks before town officials and
property owners know the full
impact of Hugo.
Oceanfront erosion caused by the
hurricane could restrict develop
ment on a number of lots, he said,
because there may no longer be
enough of the lot remaining to
accommodate a septic tank.
Carroll said the hurricane caused
about $5 million in structural dam
age to homes. The rest of the dam
age was erosion of beachfront prop
erty. Some areas of the island lost as
much as 70 feet of beach, according
to Commissioner William William
son.
The overall estimate does not
include damage to wooden walk
ways that offer access to the beach
at many oceanfront homes. Without
looking through files of old permits,
Carroll said he has no way of know
ing what existed before the storm.
By Tuesday morning, the inspec
tor said there were at least 75 homes
listed as uninhabitable for different
reasons. Houses with exposed or
malfunctioning septic tanks or seri
ous structural damage cannot be
occupied, he said.
Carroll did not have a count on
the number of homes that were de
stroyed by the hurricane. But there
are at least three homes that cannot
be salvaged and several others tilt
ing toward the ocean on cracked or
undermined pilings.
Like town officials elsewhere,
Holden Beach Commissioners said
most all of the damage causcd on
the island was the result of the
storm surge and not wind. Fueled
by the hurricane, waves flattened
dunes along much of the island and
crashed through ocean-facing walls
on many older homes not elevated
on pilings.
AJR. Stanton said he expected the
hurricane to do a lot more damage
to his home at 278 Ocean Boule
vard East than it did. Hugo's high
tides broke through his wooden sea
wall and caused some water damage
inside the house.
"I was looking for this house to
be laying down," he said Friday as
he started cleaning up. Stanton, who
lost one home during Hurricane
Hazel in 1954, said he was debating
whether or not to move his house
back from the ocean.
Away from the oceanfront, the
storm caused no major problems. In
many cases, owners of second row
homes said damage was limited to a
few missing shingles. In the island's
three canal subdivisions, some
homeowners reported minor flood
ing due to the canals overflowing. A
number of floating docks were also
damaged.
Overall, however, most property
owners off the beachfront expressed
relief at the lack of damage caused
by the hurricane.
"We were just lucky it didn't
come in here," said Elwood Fulford,
who owns a second-row home at
19S Hillside Drive. "If it did, I think
we'd a lost the beach. I don't think
there would have been one house
left
Greensboro Street homeowner
Dick Jones was more concise with
his damage assessment report: "We
were lucky as hell."
Due to the widespread oceanfront
damage, commissioners decided
Monday to keep the island closed to
the general public at least through
Oct. 7. The same restriction applies
to vacationers who are renting a
home on the island for less than 30
days.
However, the town board was
scheduled to meet early Wednesday
morning to reconsider that decision,
according to Town Manager Gus
Ulrich. He said officials were also
expected to discuss funding dune
replacement and allowing walking
on the beach.
Following the hurricane, electri
cal service was restored to all
homes on the island by the end of
the day Saturday. It was Sunday
afternoon, however, before every
house received water service.
Utilities Supervisor Henry
Thompson said there were no water
line breaks during the storm. Over
the weekend, water service was re
stored to one area at a time as water
meters at the uninhabitable homes
were cut off.
In addition to beachfront homes,
high tides from the hurricane also
damaged a section of the island's
main street. About 150 feet on the
north side of Ocean Boulevard West
was undermined and caved in.
Workers with the state Department
of Transportation filled in the area
around 665 O.B.W. with sand over
the weekend. It will be repaved
later.
DOT workers are also assisting
the town in removing piles of debris
from the island. Homeowners have
been asked to place any unwanted
wood scraps or other debris in the
Ocean Boulevard right-of-way at
least five feet from the edge of the
pavement.
North Carolina National Guards
men from Fair Bluff arrived at
Holden Beach late Friday moming
to assist police officers with secur
ing the island. Several guardsmen
were stationed at the entrances of
the canal subdivisions to keep boats
from entering.
Also assisting town personnel
throughout the emergency were
officers with the Brunswick County
Sheriff's Department, N.C. High
way Patrol and state Division of
Motor Vehicles.
Ulrich said Tuesday that the
National Guard would remain on
the island on a day-to-day basis. He
said the unit was running three rov
ing patrols around the clock to
ensure the safety of private proper
ly
With Hugo bearing down on the
southeastern United States, Mayor
Tandy had signed a proclamation
last Thursday afternoon ordering
everyone off the island by 5 p.m.
It was almost 24 hours later be
fore officials decided to allow prop
erty owners and residents back on
Holden Beach. During the day,
damage assessment teams surveyed
the island and clean-up crews work
ed to remove debris from the main
road. The hurricane left as much as
two feet of sand on Ocean Boule
vard in some areas in addition to
lumber from homes and decks.
Throughout the day, land owners
gathered on the mainland side of the
bridge became increasingly upset
with town officials. They said po
lice officers were allowing certain
property owners past the roadblock
but were refusing access to others.
"It's not right the way they're
doing this," said Norma Swarts, a
full-time resident of the beach.
"There are people out on thai island
that have no more right to be out
tKat-a ?Kon 1 Ko\rP M
Many said they had driven a long
way to check on their property and
others contended that town commis
sioners have no authority to keep
people from their private property.
(More Coverage Pages 6-A, 7-A)
Ocean Isle Beach 'Fixing Up' After Disastrous Date With Hurricane Hugo
BY RAIIN ADAMS
It was fitting that lights blinked
back on at Occan Isle Beach Town
Hall midway through the town
board of commissioners' emergen
n ^ r mnfninr* n
session that began with tears over
the damage inflicted by Hurricane
Hugo, but ended on an optimistic
note over clean-up efforts.
"We're just not quite as pretty
today as we were Thursday (prior to
the storm)," concluded Ocean Isle
Beach developer and town Utilities
Supervisor Odcll Williamson.
"We'll just have to put on our lip
stick and rouge, and we'll be fixed
up by Wednesday."
Occan Isle Beach Commissioners
are scheduled to meet today (Thurs
day) at 9 a.m. at Town Hall, to as
sess clean up efforts and determine
whether or not to reopen the island
to the general public. On William
son's recommendation Saturday, the
board voted unanimously to allow
only property owners onto Occan
Isle at least until today's meeting.
After last Thursday night's storm.
the island was closcd even to prop
erty owners until around 3 p.m.
Friday, while preliminary damage
assessments and emergency recov
ery measures were under way. A
rAa/fU1/>nl> An moinlonH ciHp nf
the Odell Williamson Bridge was
manned by town policemen, nation
al guardsmen or N.C. Division of
Motor Vehicles officers before and
after property owners were allowed
to return.
Williamson said allowing the
public back on Ocean Isle before
cleanup was completed would be a
"big mistake," since nails and
debris from damaged structures ?
mainly dune crossovers and the
Occan Isle fishing pier ? were
strewn along streets and in parking
areas nearest the ocean.
First Street was covered with a
layer of sand in several sections and
had to be cleared Friday by Depart
ment of Transportation crews. The
eastern end of First Street ? devas
tated in Hugo's storm surge ? was
beyond DOT's help.
"I know there arc going to be
some businesses here losing mon
ey," Williamson said, "but there's
no one on this island who's going to
lose more money than Odell Wil
liamson. ..Our number one responsi
Kilifv ic tn thp nronprtv nu/n^rc ? iht*
people who pay the taxes."
He estimated that cleanup would
cost the town up to $50,000 and
that it probably could be completed
by Wednesday (Sept. 27). The
board voted unanimously to autho
rize Williamson and Mayor Betty
Williamson to coordinate the effort
At the outset of Saturday's meet
ing, Odell Williamson sobbed once
as he began to relate preliminary
damage estimates to the commis
sion. "We've got more damage out
there than the eye will show," he
commented.
He said before Hugo's assault
last week, the strand and dunes
were in their best shape in IS
years ? a situation that helped
homes on all but the eastern end of
the island weather the storm.
Building Inspector Druid Robcr
son Tuesday estimated Ocean Isle's
damage at SIS million, with $7 mil
lion of that amount in structural
damage to SO homes, all loeated on
the eastern end of the beach, and to
orftanfront crossovers. Hueo
destroyed three cast end houses,
two of which already had been con
demned long before the storm
arrived last week.
Also, Roberson said Environ
mental Health officials Monday
identified 26 houses on the east end
that could not be inhabited due to
uncovered septic tanks or other
related problems. A preliminary
estimate Saturday was that only 1 1
houses had sustained damage to
septic systems.
Roberson noted Tuesday that
some of the 26 homes may have
second septic tanks that sanitarians
were not aware of during Monday's
inspection.
The fishing pier and swimming
pools at two west end condominium
complexes ? A Place At The Bcach
and Ocean Villas ? also were dam
aged, the building inspector said.
Robcrson said the beach eroded
from 15 feel to 60 feet on the east
end and about 15 feet on the west
end.
Also, he figured that water rose
to an elevation of eight feci above
sea level on Ocean Isle's canals
during the storm. Although no offi
cial estimate was available, numer
ous private docks were damaged on
the canals. Also ground-level rooms
in many canal homes were flooded
with about 18 inches of water.
"Bright spots" mentioned Satur
day by Williamson and Roberson
were that Ocean Isle's municipal
sewer system was undamaged;
power outages were not a major
problem over most of the island;
only seven homes were without
water service Saturday; and the
"wet sand beach" over most of the
oceanfront did not erode in the hur
ricane.
As far as cleanup was concerned,
Robcrson said heavy rains on
Monday didn't hamper contractors
from burning debris on the east and
west ends or from sandbagging a
line of oceanfront houses for home
owners. "In a battle, you don't have
weather," he said. "You have condi
tions."
(See Pictures Page 1-B)
Meeting To Focus
On Lockwood Folly
The N. C. Environmental
Management Commission's re
cent decision on Outstanding
Resource Waters and what it
means for the Lockwood Folly
River Basin will be the focus of
a Friday night meeting.
The Lockwood Folly River
Action group will meet Friday
at 7:30 p.m. in the Lockwood
Folly (District II) Community
Building on Stanbury Road, said
spokesperson Annie Smigiel.
The meeting had been sched
uled for last Thursday but was
postponed due to Hurricane
Hugo.