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North Carolina's Hurricane History
Third Edition
by Jay Barnes
304 pp., 253 photos, 45 maps, 3 tables, index
$19.95 paperback, $34.95 hardcover
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In the hours preceding Fran's landfall in North Carolina, thousands of vacationers and residents along the coast packed their cars and fled inland. Some remained near the coastal area, staying with family or friends, and some sought refuge in public shelters that had been set up in schools and government buildings. Others drove farther inland and rented any available motel room they could find. Even in communities far from the coast, hundreds of families went to local shelters for protection from threatening winds and rising water. The American Red Cross operated 134 shelters in 51 counties, housing 9,426 people on the night of the storm. In all, according to National Weather Service reports, almost a half-million residents in North and South Carolina evacuated during Fran. But unfortunately, many who left the beaches fled inland to wait out the storm in one place they surely thought would be safe--the Triangle region of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.
But Fran hit the Triangle hard. Not since Hazel's visit in 1954 had the Raleigh area been subjected to the kind of flooding and wind damage it endured through Fran. Most residents in the region began the evening by watching multicolored radar and satellite images spin across their television screens, knowing that the storm's path was undeniable--Fran was headed their way. As the hurricane's collapsing eye approached the region, massive trees tumbled and power lines popped and sizzled. Inside their now-dark homes, almost a million Triangle residents could only sit and listen to the whirling winds outside, waiting fearfully for the next thunderous crash of pine or oak. A few managed to sleep through the ordeal, but most paced through the night with flashlight in hand, hoping for it all to end soon.
Left: Hordes of Triangle residents lined up at area stores to purchase
fuel, generators, and chain saws in the days following hurricane Fran.
Employees of the Harris-Teeter store at Cameron Village distributed two
full tractor trailers' worth of free ice in just one day, allowing two
bags per household. (Photo by Scott Sharpe; courtesy of the Raleigh
News and Observer)
Right: A whole new generation of North Carolinians will remember Fran as
their big storm, just as the last generation remembered Hazel. (Photo by
John Althouse; courtesy of the Jacksonville Daily News)
Winds in the Raleigh area were nearly hurricane strength, and countless trees gave way to the blow. Pines typically snapped like toothpicks, whereas many large oaks fell over completely, roots and all. Hundreds of homes and businesses were bludgeoned by the falling trees, which sometimes left deep craters rimmed with muddy red clay. Downed trees and branches were everywhere--across highways, through roofs, tangled in power lines, smashed through boats and cars, in swimming pools--and virtually every neighborhood was affected. On the campus of North Carolina State University, more than 250 stately trees were lost. Those who had seen Charlotte after hurricane Hugo had instant flashbacks--the images of entire neighborhoods covered with toppled trees were eerily familiar. Raleigh--once dubbed the City of Oaks--now seemed to be the city of fallen oaks.
As the decaying hurricane swept over the city, residents huddled in darkened hallways to wait for the worst to pass. Those who felt the thundering crash of trees into their homes struggled to make sense of the invasion. Some managed to survive very close calls. Just ten minutes after North Raleigh resident Thao Do left her bedroom for the comfort of her mother's room, a large tree crashed through the roof and landed on her bed. The Dos told the News and Observer that they didn't even realize what had happened at first. They heard a loud crashing sound, "like a freight train going through the house." Bruce Do later said, "We didn't realize the damage until we opened up my sister's bedroom and saw the sky."
Just as they had been after Bertha, hundreds of resort property owners were anxious to return to the affected beaches the day after the storm. This time, however, the destruction was even more severe, and the resolve of town officials was steady. Nevertheless, residents lined up at the bridges, waiting for the first chance to get back on the islands and go to work. Many in the Triangle area were unable to travel to the coast to check on their vacation cottages, so instead they gathered at the state fairgrounds in Raleigh to view a videotape of the destruction. The tape was recorded by the state highway patrol during a helicopter flight down the coast. Trooper Ed Maness, who was behind the camera, told the News and Observer, "There were times I had to look up from my view finder and out at the coast to see if all that damage was really real."
Soon after Fran barreled through North Carolina, Governor Jim Hunt declared a state of emergency in all one hundred counties, the first time such action had ever been taken. He was later described as "shocked" by the extent of the damage.
Initially, 1,000 National Guard troops were called to action, and the governor ordered 1,400 of the state's prisoners to help with the cleanup. He also announced that state workers living in the affected counties should stay home for up to a week to help their communities recover.
Without doubt, Fran's visit to the state established it as the new benchmark for hurricanes in North Carolina. It may not have been the strongest storm to hit the Tar Heel coast in the twentieth century, but its widespread effects and tremendous toll exceeded that of the previous hurricane to set the standard--hurricane Hazel. It had such a significant impact on such a large number of people that a whole new generation of North Carolinians will forever be prepared to reminisce whenever the topic comes up. For decades to come, they'll tell their children and their grandchildren: "I remember Fran!"
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