Ophelia begins slow assault on North Carolina

CAROLINA BEACH, N. C.—

Hurricane Ophelia lashed the North Carolina coast with high winds and heavy rains yesterday, beginning an anticipated two-day assault that threatened serious flooding and a 3.3-metre storm surge. “If you have not heeded the warning before, let me be clear right now: Ophelia is a dangerous storm,” Gov. Mike Easley said from Raleigh, appealing especially to those in flood-prone areas to evacuate. Ophelia was moving so slowly — just 11 km/h— that authorities expected the storm’s passage through North Carolina to take 48 hours from the start of rainfall on the southeastern coast Tuesday afternoon to the storm’s anticipated exit into the Atlantic late today. More than 300 millimetres of rain had fallen on Oak Island at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, said meteorologist Jeff Orrock with the National Weather Service in Raleigh. More than 77,000 homes and business were without power in eastern North Carolina, utilities said. On Ocean Isle Beach, south of Carolina Beach, a 15-metre section of beachfront road was washed out by heavy surf and the only bridge to the island was closed. Following the criticism of its response to Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had 250 workers on the ground — a larger-thanusual contingent given Ophelia’s size. FEMA also put a military officer, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Brian Peterman, in place to command any federal response the storm might require. The storm’s slow, meandering path to the coast gave FEMA more time to get staff on the ground than is usually the case with North Carolina hurricanes, said Shelley Boone, the agency’s team leader for Ophelia. Easley said he had spoken to Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff and that National Guard teams were prepared to evacuate sick, frail and elderly residents.