MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Residents and visitors in
this tourist town awoke Wednesday to strong wind gusts and squalls
as Hurricane Ophelia brushed South Carolina's northern coast. Early
reports showed few problems.
There were no reports of major damage in Horry County,
spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier said.
"We did have some minor flooding in the Garden City Beach and
Cherry Grove area," Bourcier said. "That's not unnecessarily
uncommon" in a heavy thunderstorm because those are low-lying
areas.
Only scattered power outages had been reported, she said.
"We're in great shape," said Laura Varn, spokeswoman for Santee
Cooper, the state-owned utility. "It hasn't done any damage to our
system," which serves about 147,000 customers in Georgetown and
Horry counties.
The slow-moving storm with top sustained winds of 80 mph
continued to show its strength as the strongest rain bands and winds
skirted the state's northern coast.
Jim Robinson, in town for an annual golf outing with friends, had
the course closed on him Tuesday and it didn't look like he was
going to make it to the links Wednesday with sopping fairways.
"We're just going to hang out and play a little poker, see what
happens," the 56-year-old retiree from Cincinnati said. "It's more
of a pain in the butt to me, I'd rather be out on the golf
course."
The storm flushed oceanfront visitors from the Apache campground,
known for its long pier and seaside camp sites.
"You don't know what will blow out of the sky," said Duke Kelsie
of Evansville, Ind., pointing 15 stories up to a nearby hotel that
had a refrigerator on its balcony. Deck furniture, tree limbs and
other flying objects worried Kelsie and his wife, Shirley, who were
headed inland to Florence.
The images of destruction from deadly Hurricane Katrina have
prompted people to take Ophelia seriously.
"We got such a dose of it on TV, it's almost impossible not to be
concerned," said Roger Kehoe, 68, of Yardley, Penn. Kehoe said the
campground is "very popular for retired people here after Labor
Day."
Forecasts show the storm running northeast along the North
Carolina coast with its center staying offshore, then veering
through Pamlico Sound, crossing the Outer Banks and heading back out
to sea by late Thursday.
Tourists planned shopping and movie trips to escape the weather -
few heeding Gov. Mark Sanford's call for a voluntary evacuation for
people on barrier islands and oceanfront and riverside property in
Charleston, Georgetown and Horry counties.
About 100 people were in shelters overnight, Bourcier said.
Sandra Hunecutt, 34, of Denver, N.C., said she was here last year
during one of the state's busiest tropical storm seasons in more
than a century. She said she's familiar with making alternative
plans.
"This is our vacation," she said. "We brought a stack of books,
so we'll probably read and go to Starbucks."
The summer tourism season here is ending, but several walkers
strolled the beach and even a few children played in the sand early
Tuesday. As the sky darkened, officials warned residents to stay off
the roads.
Schools in Georgetown and Horry counties were closed Tuesday and
Wednesday. Coastal Carolina University and Horry-Georgetown
Technical College also canceled classes.
At 8 a.m. EDT, Ophelia was about 80 miles south of Wilmington,
N.C. The storm was moving north-northeast at 6 mph, the National
Hurricane Center said.
The unpredictability of the storm worried 54-year-old Dale Lehtma
of Stafford, Va., who enjoys fishing at the Apache campground's
pier. Lehtma was hauling a 16-foot camper, its door flapping in the
wind gusts. He had set up near the crashing waves but decided move
to higher ground.
Asked if the little two-person camper could sustain the forecast
winds of 60 mph, he said, "I don't know, I haven't been in one
yet."
Farther south in Charleston County, stiff wind and rough seas
forced the Coast Guard to suspended a search for a missing surfer.
The teenager was reported missing Sunday about 200 yards off shore
at Folly Beach. His board was found about a mile away.
Three shelters were open to the public and about 50 people had
taken refuge there by Tuesday evening, emergency officials said.
Carlotta Stevens, 31, of Conway said she and her three children
went to the high school because her mobile home is prone to
flooding. Her husband stayed behind.
"If it was during the day, I'd probably stay at home because I
could see the flooding," said Stevens, who works at Denny's. She
said she was worried about her husband, but "he's a big guy."
