MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Oceanfront campers moved to
higher ground while many tourists and residents stayed behind as
whipping winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Ophelia began pounding
the South Carolina coast Tuesday afternoon.
After waiting several days, the slow-moving storm with top
sustained winds of 75 mph finally showed its strength when the first
outer bands brushed the ashore. The storm was upgraded Tuesday
evening to a hurricane and flushed oceanfront visitors from the
Apache campground, which is known for its lengthy 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.
"We got such a dose of it on TV, it's almost impossible not to be
concerned," Roger Kehoe, 68, of Yardley, Penn., said, referring to
recent coverage of deadly Hurricane Katrina. Kehoe said the
campground is "very popular for retired people here after Labor
Day."
The storm's eye was forecast to hit the North Carolina coast
Wednesday afternoon, but Ophelia's heavy rains began falling along
the Grand Strand by Tuesday. Tropical storm-force winds extended out
as far as 160 miles from the center of the system.
Tourists planned shopping and movie trips to escape the weather -
few heeding Gov. Mark Sanford's call for a voluntary evacuation
along the ocean in three counties.
Sandra Hunecutt, 34, of Denver, N.C., said she was here last year
at the same time during one of the state's busiest tropical 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.
Sanford called for a voluntary evacuation in at least part of
three coastal counties Monday, affecting people on barrier islands
and oceanfront and riverside property. Schools in Georgetown and
Horry counties were closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Coastal Carolina
University and Horry-Georgetown Technical College also canceled
classes.
At 5 p.m. EDT, Ophelia was centered about 110 miles east of
Charleston. It was moving north-northwest at 4 mph. A gradual turn
toward the north was expected during the night or Wednesday but
continued erratic motion was likely, the hurricane center said.
That unpredictability 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.
The storm was expected to bring several inches of rain to
Georgetown and Horry counties with a storm surge of six feet in
low-lying areas. The area hasn't seen heavy rainfall in a while and
the threat of flooding wasn't a major concern, Horry County
spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier said.
Officials planned for downed limbs and some power outages, but
there were no immediate reports, Santee Cooper spokeswoman Laura
Varner said.
Three shelters were open to the public and about 50 people had
taken refuge there by Tuesday evening, emergency officials said.
