Hurricane preparations underway

The seven members of the Havlin family have no plans to cut their vacation short.

“All the local people are telling us it’s okay; and the people we rent from said if it’s going to get bad they’d let us know, so we plan to stay,” said Brian Havlin, of Poland, Ohio, who is renting an oceanfront townhouse in Surf City with his wife and five children until Saturday.

However they were planning some preparations in advance of Hurricane Earl’s expected pass off the coast.

“We’re going to go and get some water and non-perishable food … and I did fill up my (gas) tank, just in case,” Brian said.

Nick, 9, said he can’t wait until the storm passes so he can walk on the beach.

“I want to find some sharks teeth and seashells,” he said.

Surfers were getting good — but very short — rides thanks to the high surf, Mike Avant, of Sneads Ferry, said.

“The swell coming in with the northeast wind makes it choppy, and the bottom here doesn’t hold the big swell,” he said, as he watched from the Surf City Pier area.

Surf City Tourism and Welcome Center fielded a lot of phone calls about the storm Tuesday and Wednesday, Tourism Director Alan Libby said.

“We’re directing them to all the weather information (sources) … We’re not going to make the decision for them,” he said.

However he is warning everyone about the rip currents.

“Everyone that comes in, I’m putting a rip current brochure in their hands and I’m telling them to stay out of the water or at waters edge at best,” he said.

But not everyone was heeding that advice.

“I am surprised by the number of people out on the beach and in the water in spite of the advisories,” said Debra Hill, the director of the North Topsail Beach planning department.

Hill accompanied Onslow County Emergency Services Director Ronald Wakeham and Deputy Director Norman Bryson on a tour of the north end of the island to look for areas of potential breaches and at other areas of concern before the category 3 hurricane started having a greater impact on the area.

Both Wakeham and Bryson said they were keeping a very close eye on the slowing cold front in the Midwest, which is needed to push Hurricane Earl in a more north, northeast path and away from the coast.

Both emphasized the importance of clearing up yard debris and securing everything outside that could become a potential hazard or cause property damage if it would become air borne.

Hill said police and town staff were out in neighborhoods reminding people to secure objects around their properties including garbage cans, grills and lawn furniture.

Chris White, the director of Albert J. Ellis Airport, said based on the current forecast the airport is anticipating remaining open. However, air carriers may adjust flight schedules depending on the weather.

 “We are making appropriate preparations and we will have extra staff on board so if we end up with some stranded passengers we’ll be able to take care of them,” he said.

John Kelly with Anchor Real Estate in Surf City said he hadn’t had any beach rental cancellations.

“I think everyone is waiting until (today),” he said. “We’re telling them it’s their choice, and advising them to keep watching the news and weather reports, and assuring them that Surf City will announce it if there is any evacuation.”

Isaac Baker, the marketing director Treasure Realty said they have been receiving a lot of phone calls about the Labor Day weekend.

“We’re not getting the last minute stuff we could have gotten because people are worried about the storm,” he said.

Kimberly Gerdes, who lives about a mile from the water in Sneads Ferry, filled up her shopping cart at Lowes Home Improvement with several cases of bottled water, batteries, a crank weather radio and enough plywood to board up the windows of her home.

Her next stop would be the grocery store.

“I’m going to stock up on canned goods — nonperishable food next,” she said. “My gut feeling is it’s going to miss us, but just in case I’ll be prepared,” she said.