September 3,
t R i r
313165 10/09/1998 *C20
‘•■ANS COUNTY LIBRARY
ACADEMY ST
■ C 2794^
The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 66, No. 36
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Bonnie visits Perquimans
Storm damage
estimates exceed
$2.5 million
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Bonnie didn’t make her
presence known for extended
periods, but the hurricane left
estimated damages of over $2.5
million in her wake in
Perquimans County after
blowing out Thursday night
with wind gusts of up to 95
miles per hour.
County Emergency
Management Coordinator Ray
Cullipher said Tuesday that
tornadoes were reported in the
county around 11 p.m.
Thursday. Cullipher said he
saw one while he was out after
receiving a report of a tornado
touch-down. Most seemed to
stay up high, causing little
damage on the ground, he said.
It appears that the cotton
and corn crops suffered the
worst damage from the storm
that hit the southern coast of
North Carolina Tuesday and
took its sweet time rolling to
the northeast. Cullipher said
initial estimates he received
from the North Carolina
Cooperative Extension
Service, Perquimans Center
put cotton damage at close to
$1.5 million, with expected
corn losses of $600,000.
Some cotton fields looked as
if steam rollers had flattened
the crops, Cullipher said.
Farmers raced Tuesday
evening to pick as much corn
as possible before wind-
whipped rain reached the
county.
At present, Cullipher said it
appears that the peanut and
soybean crops are salvageable.
The most extensive damage
to property reported to
Cullipher to date occurred in
New Hope, where a suspected
tornado ripped the roofs off of
two mobile homes. One was
unoccupied, but the family in
the other was at home when
the roof was literally ripped
from over their heads.
“Basically, they lost every
thing they had,’’ Cullipher
said.
With no insurance.
me- •
si
■■ ^
- -
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Trees falling over power lines caused electrical outages across Perquimans County as Hurricane Bonnie made her presence
known last week. Crop losses accounted for the greatest majority of the estimated $2.5 million in damages suffered in
Perquimans County. Emergency Management Coordinator Ray Culiipher said the extension service has estimated cotton loss at
about $1.5 million, with corn iosses expected to total about $600,000. Other property damage reported is estimated at around
$500,000.
Cullipher said the family is
living with family. The Red
Cross was notified of the situa
tion, and is seeking financial
assistance for
the family.
Other than
the roofs,
Cullipher said
only minor
damage has
been reported,
mostly that due
to downed
limbs
Cullipher
said from his
contacts with
area insurance
companies, it
appears that
property dam
age to homes
and businesses
is about $500,000.
A disaster team visited the
county Monday. CuUipher and
Sheriff Ralph Robinson trav
eled the county with the team.
Cullipher said the team indi
cated that Perquimans County
might qualify for disaster
relief.
So that a better estimate of
damages can be tallied,
Cullipher said that anyone
whose prop
erty was
damaged by
the storm
should call
the
Perquimans
Dispatch at
426-5751 and
leave a mes
sage for
him.
Cullipher
said the
numbers
could be a
determining
factor in
whether or
not the
county qualifies for aid.
“The biggest problem we’ve
having with damages is people
reporting it to their insurance
companies, but not to us,’’
Cullipher said. “We’re having
to go look for it.’’
Cullipher said the only
“Everybody in the
county^ as far as all
our agencies are
concerned, pulled
together and
worked real good. I
think everything
went real smooth.”
Kim Adams
Perquimans County Emergency
Management Coordinator
flooding reported during the
storm was on the causeway
and on Edenton Road Street at
Jenny’s gut. The causeway
was closed down for about 3
hours Wednesday night due to
debris washing over from the
river, reopened, then closed
again on Thursday, Cullipher
said.
Edenton Road Street in
front of the Perquimans
County High School campus
was closed for a couple of
hours Thursday around noon
when Jenny’s Gut spilled over
its banks.
A shelter was opened at
Perquimans Middle School
Tuesday around 6:30 p.m. and
remained open until Thursday
at 7 p.m. when Cullipher said
all the occupants chose to
return home.
Over 100 people sought shel
ter, many as a result of the
mandatory evacuation of
mobile home parks ordered by
the Town of Hertford. The
shelter was staffed by the Red
Cross, Department of Social
Services employees and school
system personnel, Cullipher
said. Assistance at the shelter
was provided by the Rescue
Squad, Winfall Fire
Department and all three
county law enforcement agen
cies.
In addition, Cullipher said
the county fire departments
did an outstanding job of sur
veying the county and remov
ing limbs and other debris
from the roadway so that if
needed, emergency vehicles
could pass.
“Everybody in the county,
as far as all our agencies are
concerned, puUed together and
worked real good,’’ Cullipherj
said. “I think everything went
real smooth.”
Cullipher said the county
was lucky with Bonnie and it
looks as if Danielle is turning
away, but people still need to
prepare when storm warnings
are issued.
At a Hurricane Conference
in February, Cullipher said
the National Weather Service
predicted that three major
storms will hit this area dur
ing this hurricane season.
Hurricane leaves some county
residents in the dark for hours
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Hurricane Bonnie blew trees over power
lines and substations, leaving several areas
in Perquimans County in the dark for hours.
Albemarle Electric Membership
Cooperation spokesperson Larry Johnson
said Tuesday that the company’s most criti
cal problem in Perquimans County came in
the Bethel Township, where a transmission
line coming into an EMC substation from
N.C. Power was torn down by a fallen tree.
The substation destruction left the commu
nities of Snug Harbor, Holiday Island and
Albemarle Plantation in the dark for about
20 hours, Johnson said.
According to Johnson, the Bethel subdivi
sions lost power around 11 p.m. Thursday
and were without electricity until about 8
p.m. Friday.
Because of the location of the downed line,
Johnson said special equipment had to be
brought in from another area to fix the dam
age. In addition, poles and cross arms had to
be set. Johnson said N.C. Power and EMC
crews worked together to restore electrical
service as soon as possible.
There were also scattered outages during
the storm resulting from fallen trees and
limbs in Snug Harbor, Holiday Island and
New Hope.
In order to restore power faster, local
EMC employees were on duty almost around
the clock, Johnson said. In addition, 10 crews
from * EMCs in Piedmont, Roanoke,
Edgecombe-Martin, and Halifax were
brought in and independent contractors
hired.
Johnson said the EMC staff is grateful to
customers who called in with specific loca
tions of downed lines as well as outages.
That information assisted in getting crews
on location and electrical service restored
more efficiently, Johnson said.
North Carolina Power officials could not
be reached, however residents in the
Woodland Church community served by the
power company reported an extended out
age. Residents said their electricity went off
around 3:45 p.m. Thursday when a tree feU
on power lines in a swampy area near the
intersection of Woodland Church Road and
U.S. Highway 17. Service was not restored*
untH 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Some residents lost food in freezers and
refrigerators, resident Sherie Cartwright
said. Cartwright added that those with gen
erators were very generous in loaning gener
ators to others to try to stop food spoilage.
Bonnie botches school opening
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Bonnie played havoc with
the first week of school, can
celling classes systemwide for
two days, sending one school
home on Friday and postpon
ing athletic contests.
Superintendent Gregory
Todd said Tuesday that the
hurricane interrupted what
began last Monday as a good
opening week.
“We had a very good open
ing week,” Todd said. “I was
very pleased with it. Students,
teachers were enthusiastic,
energetic.”
Then came the storm. With
weather forecasters predicting
5-10 inches of rain in the area
along with hurricane force
winds, administrators can
celled classes on Wednesday.
Bonnie’s slow-down over
southeastern North Carolina
led to a second missed day on
Thursday.
When classes resumed
Friday, a problem with a
North Carolina Power trans
former sent Central School
students back home for a third
day. The three other schools
were able to attend classes.
Todd said he expects to
make a recommendation on
when the missed days will be
made up at the board’s next
regular meeting, scheduled for
Sept. 20. While the original
school calendar called for mak
ing up a missed day on Labor
Day, Todd said the system will
not use that day as a make-up
day.
Central School students will
have to make up the time they
lost Friday, but Todd said the
system will explore ways to
make up the time other than
having the students attend
school an extra day.
No damages to school build
ings have been discovered
Todd said, although there were
some trees on school proper
ties that sustained damages.
The storm had contractors
at Hertford Grammar and
Central schools moving and
securing materials, Todd said.
The superintendent said he
is unsure what affect delays
caused by the storm wiU have
on moving into the new parts
of Hertford Grammar School
tentatively set for this week
end. A walk-through inspec
tion set last month by the
school board will take place
Thursday as scheduled.
Outside
SATURDAY
High: Low:
90s 70s
CHANCE OF RAIN
High: Low:
90s 70s
CHANCE OF RAIN
’/'."'A
High: Low:
90s 70s
CHANCE OF RAIN