Hurricane Ophelia still idling off Coast
(AP)
Updated: 2005-09-12 21:41

Coastal residents took precautions as Hurricane Ophelia sat nearly stationary off the coast on Monday, its outer bands of rain not quite reaching land. Ophelia was more than 200 miles from Wilmington on Monday with sustained wind of 75 mph, strong enough to be classified a hurricane, the Associated  Press reported.

A tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch were in effect from Cape Lookout south to Edisto Beach, S.C., the National Hurricane Center said.

Concerned about possible coastal flooding, Gov. Mike Easley ordered 200 National Guard soldiers to report to staging centers in eastern North Carolina. The governor also ordered a mandatory evacuation of nonresidents from fragile Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks, reachable only by ferry.

At Wrightsville Beach, lifeguards ordered swimmers out of the surf Sunday.

"They are saying they don't want anyone to even touch the water," said Kathy Carroll, 37, of Wilmington. "Now I know how a flounder feels. I was getting tossed all over the place."

Despite the warnings, there were no long lines at Roberts Grocery in Wrightsville Beach, where customers bought chips and beer — not bottled water and batteries.

"Usually, they are buying all the bread and milk," said store manager Teresa Hines. "Some of the regulars have told me they have their hammers and nails ready just in case."

With a history of destructive storms, New Hanover County has a well-rehearsed disaster plan. But Katrina, which was a powerful Category 4 hurricane before it made landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi, was on residents' minds even though Ophelia was only Category 1 and had been waxing and waning in strength.

"If it was a Category 4 barreling down here, I would get out if I had a chance," Lee said. "The structures just can't take that kind of wind. We're cautiously watching (Ophelia). We're not giving up until it's north of us."

At 8 a.m. EDT, Ophelia was centered 215 miles east-southeast of Charleston, S.C., and 275 miles south-southwest of Cape Hatteras, the hurricane center said. The storm was nearly stationary but a very slow turn toward the northwest was expected later Monday, forecasters said.

Ophelia has been following a wandering course since it became a tropical storm Wednesday off the coast of Florida.

It is the 15th named storm and seventh hurricane in this year's busy Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1 and ends Nov. 30. Peak storm activity typically occurs from the end of August through mid-September.

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