17:49 16Sep2003 RTRS-UPDATE 4-Isabel looms, thousands told to evacuate in
N.C.

NAGS HEAD, N.C., Sept 16 (Reuters) - Hurricane Isabel weakened on
Tuesday but thousands of people on the North Carolina coast were urged to
evacuate their homes as the storm threatened a large swath of the heavily
populated U.S. eastern seaboard.
The hurricane was still hundreds of miles out in the Atlantic Ocean but
moving steadily on a path that would bring it ashore on Thursday on North
Carolina's fragile Outer Banks, then north through Virginia, and the state
capital Richmond.
By 11 a.m. (1500 GMT) on Tuesday Isabel's top winds were around 105 mph
(170 kph). That brought it down from a Category 3 to a Category 2 storm on
the Saffir-Simpson scale of 1 to 5 that measures hurricanes' destructive
power, the National Hurricane Center said.
The center issued a hurricane watch, alerting residents to expect
hurricane conditions within 36 hours, for the coast from Little River Inlet
in South Carolina north to Chincoteague, Virginia, including the Chesapeake
Bay south of North Beach, Maryland.
The storm's predicted course had jogged slightly to the left, said Lt.
Dave Roberts, a Navy meteorologist with the center. That path takes it
further away from the Chesapeake Bay and would make it less of a threat to
the Washington area.
A Category 2 storm can badly damage mobile homes, fell trees and damage
roofs, doors and windows, as well as producing storm surges on the coast of
up to 8 feet (2.4 metres). While some further weakening was expected
Tuesday, Isabel, once a rare Category 5 hurricane, could strengthen again
before hitting land, forecasters said.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge warned that the hurricane could
cause "significant damage and loss of life."
"We encourage families and communities who appear to be in the projected
path of the hurricane to take the necessary precautions," he said on NBC's
"Today" show.
Isabel's first encounter with land could take it over the Outer Banks, a
low-lying island chain jutting out into the Atlantic that is a popular
vacation spot and home to 55,000 permanent residents.
Officials in Dare County, which includes Hatteras Island, issued a
mandatory evacuation order for the 75,000 people in the low-lying county.
There were about 15,000 people on Hatteras Island.
Ocracoke Island, a tiny barrier island southwest of Cape Hatteras and
reachable only by boat or plane, was also under a mandatory evacuation
order.
STATE OF EMERGENCY
Virginia Gov. Mark Warner declared a state of emergency to enable the
state to mobilize workers to prepare for the storm, which is expected to
cause flooding in a region already saturated with months of above-normal
ranifall.
Forecasters said the storm was already bringing large ocean swells and
dangerous surf conditions along the mid-Atlantic coast.
"It is a large storm. Carolina residents will feel the effects as early
as late Wednesday," said hurricane center meteorologist Krissy Williams.
The U.S. Navy began moving 40 ships and submarines based in Hampton
Roads, Virginia, out to sea to avoid damage and warplanes at several bases
were also being moved.
Residents of areas in the storm's possible track hurried to hardware
stores and supermarkets to stock up on supplies from flashlights and
batteries to plywood and bottled water.
At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT), Isabel's center was 600 miles (960 km)
south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, at latitude 27.4 north and
longitude 71.2 west. It was heading northwest at 8 mph (13 kph).
The last big storm to hit North Carolina was Floyd, which caused massive
flooding in 1999. Although only a Category 2 storm when it hit, Floyd killed
56 people and caused $4.5 billion in damage.


Tuesday, 16 September 2003 17:49:08RTRS [nN16190183] {EN}ENDS