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reprint or license thisSouthern Brunswick islands OK
By Steve Jones and Travis Tritten
The Sun News
Southwestern Brunswick County's beaches fared well during Tropical Storm Ernesto, according to town administrators in Holden Beach, Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle Beach.
The east end of Ocean Isle, which has lost oceanfront houses over the past two years because of erosion, fared well, said town administrator Daisy Ivey.
Likewise, said Holden Beach town manager Steve Wheeler, no major beach erosion occurred along its oceanfront.
"I think the key was the timing of (Ernesto) coming in at low tide," Wheeler said.
Brunswick County worked Friday morning to reopen closed roads and clear standing water after taking the worst Tropical Storm Ernesto had to offer.
After skirting the S.C. coast most of Thursday, sending gusts and torrential rain across Horry and Georgetown counties, the storm, which couldn't quite muster the 74 mph winds to regain Category 1 hurricane status, made landfall at Long Beach, just west of Cape Fear, at 11:30 p.m..
Linda Fluegel, Sunset Beach town administrator, said Friday morning that the town escaped any serious damage from Tropical Storm Ernesto.
The bridge that links the island portion of the town to the mainland was tied back at 5 p.m. Thursday in anticipation of significant winds that could have put it out of commission, but Fluegel said state crews reopened the bridge in the early hours of Friday morning.
Fluegel said a couple of trees fell in Sea Trail Plantation, but they had been cleared by early morning. A shoulder of one road on the island will have to be rebuilt, she said, but the road was not compromised and remained open.
"We're back to normal," Fluegel said, "just a little bit of limbs and trees blown around."
Brunswick officials worked Friday morning to reopen 13 roads that remained closed at midmorning because of Ernesto, but had reopened 25 roads that were closed overnight, they said.
Some minor beach erosion was reported along Brunswick County beaches.
Ocean Boulevard was reopened in Holden Beach Friday morning and is mostly clear of floodwaters after officials had to pump away excess water.
About 3,000 Brunswick Electric customers were without power at some points during the night, but power had been restored by 8 a.m. Friday.
Calabash officials reported minor flooding problems and some downed trees, but no serious problems.
Brunswick County Schools canceled classes for today. A number of secondary roads remained closed this morning. Brunswick Community College planned to operate on a two-hour delay.
States of emergency were declared and beach towns issued voluntary evacuations Thursday as Ernesto appeared to be heading for Brunswick County.
Ocean Isle Beach police went door to door Thursday afternoon urging beachfront residents to heed the voluntary evacuation order. Most chose to stay put, but agreed to follow the officers' advice to prepare bags just in case they had to flee.
National Weather Service forecasters said sustained winds were expected to be 30 to 40 mph at landfall and gusts up to 60 mph were expected near the center, which would be Holden Beach, Oak Island and Bald Head Island.
Steady rains, some briefly torrential, drenched Brunswick County all day, flooding about 200 yards of Main Street in Shallotte and putting most of Ocean Boulevard in Holden Beach under water.
U.S. 74/76 in Leland was flooded by midafternoon, officials there said. Southwestern Brunswick towns reported rainfall of 2 to 3 inches.
Thirty-four people had gone to the two shelters opened in Brunswick on Thursday afternoon: 30 of them at West Brunswick High and four at North Brunswick High.
County officials had sent transportation to take at least two special needs residents to shelters, said volunteer coordinator Jayne Matthews.
The hurricane shelter at West Brunswick High School was mostly empty at 7 p.m.
Johnny and Joyce Simpson were among the few evacuees sipping coffee and munching sandwiches under the bright lights of the school cafeteria.
The American Red Cross shelter is just outside Shallotte and can hold 825 evacuees, shelter manager Bob Bobinski said.
Most eyes were fixed on a television broadcasting the latest storm information.
"I'm on higher ground, but with a mobile home you never know," Johnny Simpson said.
The Simpsons, who are from Supply, N.C., were being cautious but said the small number of evacuees so late in the evening could be a bad sign. "I just hope people aren't making a mistake by not evacuating," Simpson said.
More evacuees were expected as the night progressed and Ernesto raked across the county, Bobinski said.
"When the water starts coming in over the trailers then they know they have a problem," he said.
Minor to moderate coastal flooding is expected. Beach erosion could be significant in some places. Flooding is expected on the Lockwood Folly River and Town Creek, but winds on the back end of the storm could push the water after the eye wall passes, according to the weather service.
By 8 p.m., northeast Brunswick had 6-8 inches of rain. The average countywide was 3 to 4 inches. The weather service expected an additional 3 to 4 inches.
Brunswick County officials declared a state of emergency at 1 p.m., a move that will help with relief money and efforts. The county called for a voluntary evacuation at 3 p.m., urging residents in mobile homes and low-lying areas to seek safer ground.
The towns of Carolina Shores, Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach and Holden Beach declared states of emergency earlier in the day and those with an oceanfront called for voluntary evacuations.
Brunswick schools closed between 12:30 and 1 p.m. Thursday and the community college shut its doors at 2:30.
Fifteen electric crews from Georgia were expected to arrive in Brunswick County around 5 p.m. to help restore power after the storm has passed.
Another four crews from Pike Electric in South Carolina will be heading to Brunswick County today to join Brunswick Electric.
Pike Electric is a contract company that Brunswick Electric uses to help it with work.
Randy Thompson, Brunswick's director of emergency services, said emergency personnel don't expect to begin making preliminary damage assessments until after the winds die below gale force.
"Storms are unpredictable," Thompson said. "No matter what [weather sources] tell you, they're unpredictable."
The county's emergency personnel shifted smoothly from the relaxed attitude about the storm they had Wednesday afternoon to one of high preparation Thursday morning.
The county has worked intensively the last several years on its hurricane response.
This year, it initiated a list of special needs residents who are called prior to a storm hitting and evacuated if necessary as well as a countywide connection of all emergency services to WebEOC, a computer program that provides up-to-date information and allows for questions and answers without phone calls.
Contact STEVE JONES at (910) 754-9855 or sjones@thesunnews.com.
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