P The
ERQUIMANS'
lL-Weekly ^
"News from Next Door"
APRIL 30, 2014 - MAY 6, 2014
^ 3 0W entS
‘IT’S HEARTBREAKING’
Many
residents
feeling
blessed
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Neighbors were seeing
God’s hand in the fact that
16 homes in the Chapanoke
community were damaged
or destroyed Friday but no
body was injured.
Joe Parker and his wife
Louise were attending
church when the storm
struck about 7:30 p.m. Fri
day. They’ve lived in the
home since 1959. The roof
and some of the walls were
blown off and the con
tents inside were scattered
around.
“Somebody on the phone
at church said they heard it
was bad in Chapanoke, but
we were told they couldn’t
get home because a tree
blocked the road,” Louise
Parker said.
Louise Parker is better
known to many as the “Cake
Lady” for going around
town selling slices of cakes
she’d baked. She also was
a teacher’s assistant in the
school system from 1977
through 2003.
David Parker, 66, who
lives next door, was in his
living room watching the
weather reports on televi
sion when the storm hit.
Normally his great grand
son and great granddaugh
ter would have been there
with him, but they weren’t
that night.
The roof and walls
See BLESSED, 4
STAFF PHOTO
BY PETER WILLIAMS
David Parker sips coffee
while hugging his great
grandson Tiyon, next to
what is left of Parker’s
home on Chapanoke
Road, Saturday.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Gov. Pat McCrory
(left) and Winfall
Mayor Fred Yates
embrace Sunday in
Chapanoke at the
scene of properties
destroyed by a
tornado that struck
Friday night. For
more on the
governor’s
visit, see
page 4. See more
storm photos
page 11.
Early
damage
estimate
at $500K
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A pair of tornadoes de-
stroyed or damaged
nearly 50 homes and
caused at least $500,000 in
damage Friday night across
Perquimans County.
The Chapanoke and Snug
Harbor areas of Perquimans
County appear to have suf
fered the brunt of the damage.
Perquimans County Manager
Frank Heath and Chairman of
the Perquimans County Com
mission Janice Cole did their
first assessment Saturday
morning, Heath said.
“It’s heartbreaking to see
what those families are having
to go through,” Heath said. “I
haven’t seen anything like this
in my experience.”
The area near Bethel Fishing
Center saw trees fall through
roofs. The brunt of the dam
age in Burnt Mill Road was
on the Chowan County side of
the line, but there was damage
in the Camp Perry area of New
Hope.
Perquimans County Emer
gency Management Director
Jarvis Winslow still had as
sessment teams out Monday
documenting damage across
the county.
As of noon Monday he said
11 homes were totally de
stroyed, 18 homes had major
damage and about the same
' number had minor damage.
Those estimates would likely
rise, he said.
See DAMAGE, 5
McCrory’s disaster declaration might bring relief locally
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Gov. Pat McCrory’s
declaration of a state of
emergency in Perquimans
County has triggered a pro
hibition against excessive
pricing and is the first step
toward a broader effort
that could offer more state
and federal help for victims
locally.
More help could come
if the governor declares a
state of disaster and the
federal government follows
suit with one of its own.
Assistance could include
covering some of the cost
of damages that aren’t cov
ered by insurance or help
ing renters who don’t have
insurance. It could be a
week before state officials
know more about what
could be offered.
In the case of financial
help, a lot depends on the
scope of the disaster and
a community’s ability to
overcome it on its own.
Julia Jarema, a spokes
woman for the N.C. Depart-
REPORT IT!
Consumers can report potential
price gouging to the Attorney
General’s Consumer Protection
Division. Call 1-877-5-N0-
SCAM toll-free within North
I Carolina or file a price gouging .
complaint at www.ncdoj.gov.
ment of Public Safety, said
there are a lot of variables.
“For anybody who has
any damage from any
event, a fire or a flood, the
first step is to file insur
ance,” Jarema said. “There
are folks who do not have
insurance or enough insur
ance and there may be fed
eral help that can kick in.”
Jarema said in one re
cent case, a disaster dam
aged 150 homes in North
Carolina. But virtually all
of the property owners had
insurance that covered the
damage.
“If a community can
overcome a disaster on
its own, you don’t want to
have taxpayers paying for
it,” she said.
The prohibition on price
gouging is enforced the
Department of Justice.
Consumers can report
potential price gouging
to the Attorney General’s
Consumer Protection Di
vision. Call 1-877-5-NO-
SCAM toll-free within
North Carolina or file a
price gouging complaint
at www.ncdoj.gov.
“During Hurricane Isa
bel some people were
claiming price gouging,”
Sheriff Eric Tilley said.
“We really didn’t see
much. In some cases, the
items were costing more
and the local retrailer was
just passing it along.”
In 2008 the Attorney
General’s office enforced
the law to win $71,000
from 14 gas stations.
The emergency decla
ration does not prohibit
or restrict lawfully pos
sessed firearms or am
munition or impose any
limitation on the con
sumption, transportation,
sale or purchase of alco
holic beverages.
Candidates speak out on issues ahead of May 6 primary
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Candidates for the Per
quimans County School
Board agree that while a
new athletic facility would
be nice, the school system
faces other more pressing
issues.
All four seemed to indi
cate that it will take outside
groups with money and the
community as a whole to
make it happen. The school
board election is on Tues-
89076
47144
2
day’sballot.
Asitwasorig- All
inally proposed, 1 fill'll
the $6.1 million
project would ^jfl
include a football
field stadium surrounded by
an eight-lane running track.
There would be a soccer
field, press box/equipment
storage, main entry/conces-
sions, soccer stadium seat
ing and concessions, a prac
tice field, a tennis court and
parking lots.
The high school has
fielded state championship-
caliber track athletes, but
the school has no track. All
track competitions are held
at other schools. Perqui
mans doesn’t currentlv have
HOLLOWELL
HOW THEY
ANSWERED
■ See candidates’ bios and
responses to Q&A - 6
a tennis team and the soccer
team uses a field at the Per-
auimans Countv Recreation
•J
PAGELS
SPAUGH
WHITE
Center.
The facility would be on
donated land across Eden
ton Road Street from the
high school. As of now, just
$12,000 has been raised for
the project.
Last year the school sys
tem divided the project
into two phases and made
some chanses but funding
remains the issue.
The status of the athletic
facility was one of the four
questions The Perquimans
Weekly posed to the candi
dates. They were asked to
respond in their own words
in 100 words or less.
Ralph Hollowell, 47, is
the lone incumbent on the
ballot. Amv Snaugh. 46. did
4
serve a four-year term in
2008-12 and did not seek
re-election but is running
again. Also in the field are
two former educators,
Charles “Chuck” Pagels, 68
and Anne White, 68.
While there are three
seats on the board open,
voters are limited to voting
for just one candidate. The
race is non-partisan.
Pagels suggested a broad-
• er support group could
; make the athletic complex
• work.
> “Exploring the athletic
i complex idea with oth
ers agencies, units of gov-
; ernment, and community
See SPEAK OUT. 4