September 19, 2003
By BOB LEWIS, Associated Press Writer
Photo: A motorist braves flooded Highway #12 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, as Hurricane Isabel hits land. (AFP/Paul J Richards)
RICHMOND, Va. - Hurricane Isabel knocked out power to more than 3.5 million people as it weakened into a tropical storm and raced up the Eastern Seaboard on Friday, swamping tidal communities along Chesapeake Bay, uprooting trees, disrupting air traffic and shutting down the nation's capital.
The massive storm was blamed for at least 12 deaths: seven in Virginia; one in North Carolina; one in Pennsylvania; two in Maryland and one in New Jersey.
The storm plowed into North Carolina's Outer Banks on Thursday night with winds of about 100 mph and moved across Virginia early Friday as it continued losing strength. It began moving into western Pennsylvania and was expected to sweep through western New York state before dissipating in Canada by Saturday.
Isabel's top sustained wind had eased to around 50 mph early Friday.
Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Isabel inflicted the worst damage along the Outer Banks.
Photo: A resident of Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks of North Carolina looks at the destruction of Highway 12 caused by Hurricane Isabel's action on the Atlantic Ocean, September 18, 2003. Hurricane Isabel screamed ashore in North Carolina on Thursday with furious winds and torrential rains that forced evacuations throughout the U.S. mid-Atlantic region, canceled nearly 1,000 flights and shut down the federal government in Washington. (REUTERS/Jason Reed)
"Our concern down there is we have about 4,000 people who refused to evacuate we're getting in to make sure they're OK," he said on ABC's Good Morning America.
Brown cautioned that residents in Isabel's path should keep their guard up, with flood waters moving into tributaries throughout the day. "So people just because they see blue skies should not think, 'Oh this storm is gone and the aftermath is over with.'"
In Washington, the federal government shut down for two days. Offices, monuments and subway tunnels were all but abandoned, frustrating tourists. Some were surprised that monuments and museums were closed Thursday hours ahead of the storm.
"I think it's a little overkill," said Sandra de Dubovay, who was visiting from the Los Angeles area. "Some people only have a day here. It is frustrating."
With mid-Atlantic states left sodden by an unusually wet summer, the winds toppled trees and rains flooded creeks and low-lying areas.
In Middletown, N.J., Isabel sent a tree crashing through the roof of Jean Paul Zammit's house.
"It was a just a big bang and crack, and the ceiling falling down and everything falling down," said Zammit, who was sitting in his living room when the roof caved in.
Photo: A volunteer takes advantage of a break in hurricane force winds as he works to remove a fallen tree on Main Street in Reedville, Va., September 18, 2003. In the background, another 75-year-old tree crashed through the roof of a home in the Potomac River community. Hurricane Isabel slammed the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast with punishing winds and rain that cut power to millions and paralyzed the nation's capital before turning inland on Friday as it weakened to a tropical storm. (Blake Sell/Reuters)
At 5 a.m., Isabel was 80 miles south of Johnstown, Pa., moving northwest at around 21 mph, down from 24 mph Thursday as it moved up the coast.
Up to a foot of rain was possible in West Virginia's hilly Eastern Panhandle and 6 to 9 inches was forecast for parts of Pennsylvania, where authorities in Lancaster County said a motorist was killed early Friday when a tree fell on his car.
In Virginia alone, more than 1.5 million people lost power by late Thursday and more than 16,000 people filled evacuation shelters. Six people were killed in a pair of weather-related traffic accidents in the state; another was killed by a falling tree.
"Virginians need to realize that they're in for a tough couple of days," said Gov. Mark R. Warner.
Some of the worst flooding on Thursday was along the Chesapeake Bay, where an 8.2-foot storm surge sent water into low-lying areas, particularly Norfolk and Portsmouth.
Along the York River in Gloucester County, authorities rescued eight people stranded on a small island surrounded by raging currents. Water around the island started to recede Thursday, lessening the danger to others who remained stranded.
The Potomac River was forecast to see a 5- to 6-foot surge by early Friday morning. Streets were flooded in Alexandria's colonial Old Town district in Virginia.
Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich said flooding, whether from storm surges on the Eastern Shore or heavy rainfall, was "the No. 1 danger." Two Marylanders were killed in separate weather-related traffic accidents.
In Baltimore, the storm blew down three buildings that would have to be demolished and downed trees and utility lines. The storm knocked out generators at two water treatment plants and one sewage treatment plant.
Anne Arundel County Executive Janet Owens urged residents to be patient and conserve water until power was restored.
"Putting it bluntly, please don't flush," Owens said. "It buys us some time."
The storm spared much of North Carolina the kind of flood damage is experienced from Hurricane Floyd in 1999. The storm flooded some low-lying areas and knocked out electricity for hundreds of thousands, but it didn't appear to pack the same destructive punch as Floyd, which left 56 dead and a wide swath of the state underwater.
On isolated Ocracoke Island along the Outer Banks, about 15 people gathered at Howard's Pub to ride out the storm.
Photo: Curious onlookers walk past a destroyed beach house in Kitty Hawk as Hurricane Isabel hits the the Outer Banks in North Carolina. (AFP/Paul J Richards)
"Isabel's eye passed right over us," said Buffy Warner, the pub's owner. "It was so dramatic. The rain was actually driving horizontally with these incredibly dark skies and no visibility. Then, within about 60 seconds, the sky became bright white."
A utility employee in North Carolina was electrocuted while restoring power.
President Bush declared major disasters in North Carolina and Virginia, ordering federal aid to both states. The governors of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware declared state emergencies.
Well over 1,500 flights were canceled at airports in the major Eastern cities, said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association. As the storm moved north, all flights to and from the Washington metropolitan area's airports were likely to be canceled, he said.
In Warren County, N.J., a tree fell on a car, killing one person and trapping another in the vehicle. Police also evacuated 168 residents of a Salem County nursing home when water rose in the Delaware Bay around 3 a.m., state police said. Residents were taken to two local shelters.
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On the Net:
National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
WeatherFlow Inc. wind sensors: http://www.weatherflow.com/hatterasuscg
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&e=1&u=/ap/20030919/ap_on_re_us/isabel