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ISABEL’S TOP WINDS were about 105 mph Wednesday afternoon, easing slightly. At 8 p.m. ET, it was centered about 280 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and was moving north-northwest about 14 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. It was expected to gain speed during the next 24 hours.
A hurricane warning was in effect from Cape Fear, N.C., to Chincoteague, Va. Tropical storm watches extended north to Sandy Hook, N.J., and south along the South Carolina coast. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are possible within 24 hours.
The storm was projected to make landfall Thursday morning in North Carolina and then head north through Virginia on a path that would take it west of Washington as it brought drenching rains to the inland.
As with Hurricane Hugo, which followed roughly the same track almost exactly 14 years ago, much of the damage wrought by Isabel was expected to be far inland, in areas usually unaffected by Atlantic storms. The National Weather Service said hurricane force winds were extending up to 115 miles from the center of the storm, while tropical storm force winds reached a full 315 miles away.
By Wednesday morning, rough seas were already kicking up along the coast, and stormy weather was expected by Wednesday evening.
BIGGEST THREAT: FLOODS
Isabel is descending on the East Coast after a wet spring and summer, and heavy rains may cause severe flooding along the Potomac, Susquehanna and Delaware river basins, as well as smaller streams in New Jersey and Delaware and the eastern parts of Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.
Because the soil is already so saturated, rain will quickly run off, submerging low areas on its way to rivers and streams. Pennsylvania officials said the ground was so sodden that it would take as little as 2 to 4 inches of rain to cause rivers and creeks to spill their banks; more than 9 inches was forecast.
“There’s just nowhere to put the water,” said Ed McDonough, a spokesman for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency.
Municipal workers filled sandbags in Washington, and state crews on bulldozers built up giant sandwalls on New York and New Jersey beaches.
Del. NASCAR race still on
Sept. 17, 2003 — People are still arriving for this weekend’s Winston Cup race in Dover, Del., despite Hurricane Isabel, and so far the race is still on. NBC’s Carl Quintanilla reports.
2 / 10
Orderly evacuation from Isabel
Sept. 17, 2003 — As Hurricane Isabel approaches, states of emergency have been declared in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland, but it has been an orderly evacuation so far. NBC’s Robert Hager reports.
3 / 10
Carolina hurricane preps
Sept. 16, 2003 — Thousands are ordered to evacuate amid preparations for Hurricane Isabel’s high winds and heavy rains.
4 / 10
Outer Banks evacuations
Sept. 16, 2003 — Some 115,000 have been ordered to evacuate North Carolina's Outer Banks. NBC’s Kerry Sanders reports.
5 / 10
Hurricane insurance
Sept. 16, 2003 — Hurricane insurance is the last resort for seaside property owners. But with Isabel racing toward shore, can you still buy it?
6 / 10
Isabel seen slowing fuel refining
Sept. 16, 2003 — As people prepare for Hurricane Isabel, fuel refineries have reduced production which could raise gasoline and heating fuel costs.
7 / 10
Hurricane spurs insurance inquiries
Sept. 16, 2003 — CNBC’s Sharon Epperson discusses hurricane and flood insurance.
8 / 10
High lumber prices hammer homeowners
Sept. 16, 2003 — CNBC’s Maya Kulycky reports on the soaring price of lumber as Hurricane Isabel threatens the U.S.
9 / 10
Development = storm damage
Sept. 15, 2003 — Damage and the potential loss of life increase as seaside development burgeons along the Eastern seaboard.
10 / 10
MSNBC: Hurricane Isabel
See pictures of the hurricane and how people are dealing with it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WIDE AREA OF IMPACT
All told, the U.S. Census Bureau said, tens of millions of people could be affected. The governors of North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Delaware and the mayor of Washington all declared emergencies, allowing them to deploy the National Guard and seek federal disaster relief after the storm passes.
By midday Wednesday, more than 230,000 people in North Carolina and Virginia alone had been told to evacuate, with orders stretching beyond the coast into low-lying inland areas and islands deep inside Chesapeake Bay.
Hurricane resources
• Briefing guide
• What causes them?
• Slide show of major U.S. hurricanes
• Top 10 U.S. hurricanes
• Floods: interactive guide
• Storm terminology
“People recognize this is the real deal. This is, in terms of predictions, perhaps the worst storm we’ve seen in decades,” Virginia Gov. Mark Warner told reporters.
Since Tuesday morning, cars, recreational vehicles and SUVs have been streaming inland from North Carolina’s Outer Banks, while thousands of Navy families and scores of ships, subs and planes fled their bases to protect themselves.
Experts warned coastal residents not to let their guard down.
“Hurricanes are notorious for gaining strength as they cross the Gulf Stream,” Eric Blake, a meteorologist at the hurricane center, said Tuesday. “There’s still a lot of potential for danger.”
Track Isabel through Webcams at WCNC-TV, Charlotte, N.C.
fact file
States on hurricane watch
Select a state for details:
• Delaware
• District of Colombia
• Maryland
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Virginia
• West Virginia
DELAWARE
Gov. Ruth Ann Minner declared state of emergency effective Thursday morning, ordered the mandatory evacuation of low-lying areas and the closing of public schools. State offices also will be closed Thursday and Friday except for essential personnel. Tropical storm warning posted along coast.
DISTRICT OF COLOMBIA
City workers filled sandbags for residents in flood-prone areas. The regional transit agency warned that if there were heavy sustained winds in excess of 40 mph, bus service and aboveground subway service would be suspended.
MARYLAND
Officials opened the state’s Emergency Operations Center and canceled leave for essential state employees. Emergency workers’ leaves also canceled in Baltimore. Gov. Robert Ehrlich urged people not to make unnecessary trips when storm hits. Forty-eight state parks and six state forests closed; campers there ordered to evacuate. Tropical storm warning posted along coast.
NEW JERSEY
Emergency center at state police headquarters prepared for operation. Fifteen National Guard trucks dispatched to Cape May County to assist with evacuations should they prove necessary. Aircraft from McGuire Air Force Base flown to Midwest. Tropical storm warning posted along coast.
NORTH CAROLINA
About 120,000 people were told to evacuate the coast and barrier islands. Gov. Mike Easley declared a state of emergency, putting the National Guard and state police on alert. Hurricane warning in effect for nearly entire coast.
PENNSYLVANIA
Forecasters said 9 inches or more of rain could fall in the west-central part of the state and warned of widespread flooding and the possibility of tornadoes. The state emergency management agency urged those living in flood-prone areas to establish an evacuation route.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Tropical storm warnings posted along the northern coast. Charleston officials prepared to dispatch volunteer city workers to help Virginia Beach, Va., and Elizabeth City, N.C., if needed in the aftermath of Isabel.
VIRGINIA
At least 86,500 people in low-lying areas of southeastern Virginia were told to leave their homes. "This is, in terms of predictions, perhaps the worst storm we’ve seen in decades," Gov. Mark R. Warner said. Hurricane warning posted along the Virginia coast and much of Chesapeake Bay.
WEST VIRGINIA
Officials feared the storm’s potential rainfall in the hilly and already saturated Eastern Panhandle. Up to 12 inches is possible in Morgan County, said county emergency service director Dave Michael.
Printable version
PREPARATIONS ALONG SEABOARD
The nation’s capital was essentially shutting down. The Office of Personnel Management announced Wednesday evening that the federal government would be closed Thursday.
As President Bush met with emergency officials to oversee storm plans, workers prepared the White House. An exterior remodeling crew was told to pack up early, and workers took down awnings, checked drains and lowered flags.
Just north of the capital, a spokeswoman at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., home to Air Force One, said preparations were under way to fly the president’s jet to a secure location. Dozens of other aircraft at bases along the East Coast were also being flown out of the area.
House leaders decided to start the weekend on Thursday so lawmakers could head home before the storm approached. The Senate had not yet stated its intentions.
Transit officials decided to close the Metro subway and bus system, the nation’s second busiest, in the middle of Thursday morning, raising work-or-stay-home questions for hundreds of thousands of commuters. Metro officials said they were concerned that riders could be blown off platforms onto tracks at above-ground stations or blown in front of buses.
Up and down the Atlantic seaboard, officials and residents took other steps to brace themselves:
The Department of Homeland Security positioned medical teams, search-and-rescue squads and disaster materials — ranging from bottled water to blankets and medicine — in areas threatened by the hurricane.
Amtrak canceled all train service along the East Coast south of Washington. Officials of the major airlines were meeting to consider whether to cancel flights Thursday and Friday at the Washington area’s three major airports.
All 6,000 military and civilian personnel and their families who live on Langley Air Force Base, Va., near Hampton Roads, were ordered to evacuate by Wednesday afternoon. Dozens of Navy ships and submarines sailed out of ports in Virginia and North Carolina to take them out of harm’s way.
Many homeowners without hurricane coverage were trying to buy it but were being turned away. State Farm, Allstate and Nationwide Financial Services, among others, stopped issuing insurance to those in the direct path of Isabel, company spokesmen said.
Home improvement stores were bustling as people bought everything from plywood to generators to chain saws.
Lowe’s estimated that it sold 10,000 generators in nine days to coastal residents, and the Home Depot said it had trucks coming in from as far as Toronto and Texas to help meet demand.
The Baltimore Orioles changed Thursday’s game against the New York Yankees from a night game to a day game to avoid the worst of the storm.
In Atlantic City, N.J., Miss America Pageant officials said they were prepared to postpone the Boardwalk parade Friday and even the pageant itself on Saturday, if necessary.
Isabel hits the sporting world
But many coastal residents from South Carolina to New Jersey boarded up homes and businesses and stocked up on batteries, water and other supplies, intent on riding out the storm.
“I’ve been here 65 years. I’ve never left for one yet,” said Eddie Evans, 65, a waterman on Smith Island, Md. “I was here for Hazel [in 1954] when the eye came right over the island.”
Law enforcement officials said they could not force people to abandon their homes, but they issued the starkest possible warnings to frighten them into doing so. In the coastal resort of Virginia Beach, Police Chief A.M. Jacocks urged those staying behind to write their names on their forearms so authorities could identify their bodies and notify their next of kin.
Off: MSNBC.COM
A hurricane warning was in effect from Cape Fear, N.C., to Chincoteague, Va. Tropical storm watches extended north to Sandy Hook, N.J., and south along the South Carolina coast. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are possible within 24 hours.
The storm was projected to make landfall Thursday morning in North Carolina and then head north through Virginia on a path that would take it west of Washington as it brought drenching rains to the inland.
As with Hurricane Hugo, which followed roughly the same track almost exactly 14 years ago, much of the damage wrought by Isabel was expected to be far inland, in areas usually unaffected by Atlantic storms. The National Weather Service said hurricane force winds were extending up to 115 miles from the center of the storm, while tropical storm force winds reached a full 315 miles away.
By Wednesday morning, rough seas were already kicking up along the coast, and stormy weather was expected by Wednesday evening.
BIGGEST THREAT: FLOODS
Isabel is descending on the East Coast after a wet spring and summer, and heavy rains may cause severe flooding along the Potomac, Susquehanna and Delaware river basins, as well as smaller streams in New Jersey and Delaware and the eastern parts of Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.
Because the soil is already so saturated, rain will quickly run off, submerging low areas on its way to rivers and streams. Pennsylvania officials said the ground was so sodden that it would take as little as 2 to 4 inches of rain to cause rivers and creeks to spill their banks; more than 9 inches was forecast.
“There’s just nowhere to put the water,” said Ed McDonough, a spokesman for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency.
Municipal workers filled sandbags in Washington, and state crews on bulldozers built up giant sandwalls on New York and New Jersey beaches.
Del. NASCAR race still on
Sept. 17, 2003 — People are still arriving for this weekend’s Winston Cup race in Dover, Del., despite Hurricane Isabel, and so far the race is still on. NBC’s Carl Quintanilla reports.
2 / 10
Orderly evacuation from Isabel
Sept. 17, 2003 — As Hurricane Isabel approaches, states of emergency have been declared in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland, but it has been an orderly evacuation so far. NBC’s Robert Hager reports.
3 / 10
Carolina hurricane preps
Sept. 16, 2003 — Thousands are ordered to evacuate amid preparations for Hurricane Isabel’s high winds and heavy rains.
4 / 10
Outer Banks evacuations
Sept. 16, 2003 — Some 115,000 have been ordered to evacuate North Carolina's Outer Banks. NBC’s Kerry Sanders reports.
5 / 10
Hurricane insurance
Sept. 16, 2003 — Hurricane insurance is the last resort for seaside property owners. But with Isabel racing toward shore, can you still buy it?
6 / 10
Isabel seen slowing fuel refining
Sept. 16, 2003 — As people prepare for Hurricane Isabel, fuel refineries have reduced production which could raise gasoline and heating fuel costs.
7 / 10
Hurricane spurs insurance inquiries
Sept. 16, 2003 — CNBC’s Sharon Epperson discusses hurricane and flood insurance.
8 / 10
High lumber prices hammer homeowners
Sept. 16, 2003 — CNBC’s Maya Kulycky reports on the soaring price of lumber as Hurricane Isabel threatens the U.S.
9 / 10
Development = storm damage
Sept. 15, 2003 — Damage and the potential loss of life increase as seaside development burgeons along the Eastern seaboard.
10 / 10
MSNBC: Hurricane Isabel
See pictures of the hurricane and how people are dealing with it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WIDE AREA OF IMPACT
All told, the U.S. Census Bureau said, tens of millions of people could be affected. The governors of North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Delaware and the mayor of Washington all declared emergencies, allowing them to deploy the National Guard and seek federal disaster relief after the storm passes.
By midday Wednesday, more than 230,000 people in North Carolina and Virginia alone had been told to evacuate, with orders stretching beyond the coast into low-lying inland areas and islands deep inside Chesapeake Bay.
Hurricane resources
• Briefing guide
• What causes them?
• Slide show of major U.S. hurricanes
• Top 10 U.S. hurricanes
• Floods: interactive guide
• Storm terminology
“People recognize this is the real deal. This is, in terms of predictions, perhaps the worst storm we’ve seen in decades,” Virginia Gov. Mark Warner told reporters.
Since Tuesday morning, cars, recreational vehicles and SUVs have been streaming inland from North Carolina’s Outer Banks, while thousands of Navy families and scores of ships, subs and planes fled their bases to protect themselves.
Experts warned coastal residents not to let their guard down.
“Hurricanes are notorious for gaining strength as they cross the Gulf Stream,” Eric Blake, a meteorologist at the hurricane center, said Tuesday. “There’s still a lot of potential for danger.”
Track Isabel through Webcams at WCNC-TV, Charlotte, N.C.
fact file
States on hurricane watch
Select a state for details:
• Delaware
• District of Colombia
• Maryland
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Virginia
• West Virginia
DELAWARE
Gov. Ruth Ann Minner declared state of emergency effective Thursday morning, ordered the mandatory evacuation of low-lying areas and the closing of public schools. State offices also will be closed Thursday and Friday except for essential personnel. Tropical storm warning posted along coast.
DISTRICT OF COLOMBIA
City workers filled sandbags for residents in flood-prone areas. The regional transit agency warned that if there were heavy sustained winds in excess of 40 mph, bus service and aboveground subway service would be suspended.
MARYLAND
Officials opened the state’s Emergency Operations Center and canceled leave for essential state employees. Emergency workers’ leaves also canceled in Baltimore. Gov. Robert Ehrlich urged people not to make unnecessary trips when storm hits. Forty-eight state parks and six state forests closed; campers there ordered to evacuate. Tropical storm warning posted along coast.
NEW JERSEY
Emergency center at state police headquarters prepared for operation. Fifteen National Guard trucks dispatched to Cape May County to assist with evacuations should they prove necessary. Aircraft from McGuire Air Force Base flown to Midwest. Tropical storm warning posted along coast.
NORTH CAROLINA
About 120,000 people were told to evacuate the coast and barrier islands. Gov. Mike Easley declared a state of emergency, putting the National Guard and state police on alert. Hurricane warning in effect for nearly entire coast.
PENNSYLVANIA
Forecasters said 9 inches or more of rain could fall in the west-central part of the state and warned of widespread flooding and the possibility of tornadoes. The state emergency management agency urged those living in flood-prone areas to establish an evacuation route.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Tropical storm warnings posted along the northern coast. Charleston officials prepared to dispatch volunteer city workers to help Virginia Beach, Va., and Elizabeth City, N.C., if needed in the aftermath of Isabel.
VIRGINIA
At least 86,500 people in low-lying areas of southeastern Virginia were told to leave their homes. "This is, in terms of predictions, perhaps the worst storm we’ve seen in decades," Gov. Mark R. Warner said. Hurricane warning posted along the Virginia coast and much of Chesapeake Bay.
WEST VIRGINIA
Officials feared the storm’s potential rainfall in the hilly and already saturated Eastern Panhandle. Up to 12 inches is possible in Morgan County, said county emergency service director Dave Michael.
Printable version
PREPARATIONS ALONG SEABOARD
The nation’s capital was essentially shutting down. The Office of Personnel Management announced Wednesday evening that the federal government would be closed Thursday.
As President Bush met with emergency officials to oversee storm plans, workers prepared the White House. An exterior remodeling crew was told to pack up early, and workers took down awnings, checked drains and lowered flags.
Just north of the capital, a spokeswoman at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., home to Air Force One, said preparations were under way to fly the president’s jet to a secure location. Dozens of other aircraft at bases along the East Coast were also being flown out of the area.
House leaders decided to start the weekend on Thursday so lawmakers could head home before the storm approached. The Senate had not yet stated its intentions.
Transit officials decided to close the Metro subway and bus system, the nation’s second busiest, in the middle of Thursday morning, raising work-or-stay-home questions for hundreds of thousands of commuters. Metro officials said they were concerned that riders could be blown off platforms onto tracks at above-ground stations or blown in front of buses.
Up and down the Atlantic seaboard, officials and residents took other steps to brace themselves:
The Department of Homeland Security positioned medical teams, search-and-rescue squads and disaster materials — ranging from bottled water to blankets and medicine — in areas threatened by the hurricane.
Amtrak canceled all train service along the East Coast south of Washington. Officials of the major airlines were meeting to consider whether to cancel flights Thursday and Friday at the Washington area’s three major airports.
All 6,000 military and civilian personnel and their families who live on Langley Air Force Base, Va., near Hampton Roads, were ordered to evacuate by Wednesday afternoon. Dozens of Navy ships and submarines sailed out of ports in Virginia and North Carolina to take them out of harm’s way.
Many homeowners without hurricane coverage were trying to buy it but were being turned away. State Farm, Allstate and Nationwide Financial Services, among others, stopped issuing insurance to those in the direct path of Isabel, company spokesmen said.
Home improvement stores were bustling as people bought everything from plywood to generators to chain saws.
Lowe’s estimated that it sold 10,000 generators in nine days to coastal residents, and the Home Depot said it had trucks coming in from as far as Toronto and Texas to help meet demand.
The Baltimore Orioles changed Thursday’s game against the New York Yankees from a night game to a day game to avoid the worst of the storm.
In Atlantic City, N.J., Miss America Pageant officials said they were prepared to postpone the Boardwalk parade Friday and even the pageant itself on Saturday, if necessary.
Isabel hits the sporting world
But many coastal residents from South Carolina to New Jersey boarded up homes and businesses and stocked up on batteries, water and other supplies, intent on riding out the storm.
“I’ve been here 65 years. I’ve never left for one yet,” said Eddie Evans, 65, a waterman on Smith Island, Md. “I was here for Hazel [in 1954] when the eye came right over the island.”
Law enforcement officials said they could not force people to abandon their homes, but they issued the starkest possible warnings to frighten them into doing so. In the coastal resort of Virginia Beach, Police Chief A.M. Jacocks urged those staying behind to write their names on their forearms so authorities could identify their bodies and notify their next of kin.
Off: MSNBC.COM
