Hanna more of a drill than storm

Onslow County emerged from Tropical Storm Hanna unscathed, emergency management officials said.

The final dollar amount is yet to be figured, but Onslow County Emergency Management Director Mark Goodman said the storm's effects were practically nonexistent.

"We expected minor damage, and that's what we got," he said.

Jacksonville officials reported minimal damage as well. The only significant incident was a tree falling across a tennis court at the Commons, said City Manager Kristoff Bauer. He said storm cost was not even in the thousands.

By the time Hanna reached the coast, making landfall near the boarder between the Carolinas, the storm's top sustained winds had dropped to about 60 mph from near 70 mph while over the ocean, according to the National Weather Service.

North Topsail Beach and Surf City both reported no major damage.

"There was very little damage, maybe a few shingles, that's about it," said Michael Moore, Surf City town manager. "We're tickled to death, it's going to be a good weekend, and we're glad it's gone."

North Topsail Beach officials likewise reported very little damage: limbs down and a little debris.

North Topsail Beach Officer Casey Simpson said while patrolling he noticed some missing shingles, a couple broken power lines and a blown transformer. One of the condemned houses on the north end of the island received additional damage to one of its walls, he said.

While damage was minimal, the event provided experience to emergency workers and allowed a field test of equipment, officials said.

Emergency workers in the county are well-trained and were prepared, said interim county manager David Smitherman.

"Fortunately the impact on Onslow County was minimal," he said. "The county will be ready for whatever the tropics present in the next few weeks."

Swansboro had the most activity during the storm.

Emergency and utility workers removed a fallen tree and downed power lines on Webb Street near town hall, said Swansboro Police Chief Ed Parrish.

Workers with the Onslow Water and Sewer Authority repaired a water line break off Norris Road in Swansboro Acres. The line was spraying water 10 feet in the air before being fixed, Parrish said.

Swansboro police had to help get generators running after power was lost at the Red Cross shelter in Swansboro High School.

A power line to the school burned completely through and needed to be replaced, according to Progress Energy.

Onslow County Fire Marshall Don Decker said downed trees and power lines resulted in power outages in Swansboro, North Topsail Beach, the Back Swamp area, Albert J. Ellis Airport and Onslow Memorial Hospital.

The Richlands EOC and Volunteer Fire Department Station 14 had to operate on generator power Saturday morning because the electricity was flickering on and off. Several trees were down, but other than that, Richlands made it through without a scratch, Richlands VFD Chief Michael Jarman said.

The Holly Ridge Police Department found only minor roof and vinyl siding destruction, town officials said.

The Sneads Ferry VFD reported shingles were blown off its stations roof, but no major damage was found during a ride through the community.

Intracoastal Waterway levels were high along Moore's Landing, Pirates Cove and Grant's Oyster House, emergency officials said.

The NWS issued a tornado warning for the southwest area of the county Friday night. Emergency officials reported wind gusts on the N.C. 24 bypass that was pushing emergency vehicles into different lanes early Saturday morning.

Nearly all of New River Air Station - including all staff housing - lost power early Saturday morning, said spokeswoman Staff Sgt. Angela Mink.

But as soon as officials asked for help, seven crews from Jones-Onslow Electric Cooperative responded "quickly and efficiently" to get everything back up and running, she said.

The air station saw little damage other than to transformers, Mink said. Most individuals had secured items around their house, though there was one trampoline that was blown into a satellite dish.

Camp Lejeune saw a number of downed tree limbs, including one that knocked out a transformer, cutting power to Paradise Point Golf Course early Saturday morning, said spokesman Maj. Nat Fahy. Camp Lejeune High School also was impacted but had generators as back up, Fahy said.

Most Marine Corps Community Services facilities were back open by Saturday afternoon, though Onslow Beach remained closed until authorities deemed it safe.

"Generally, operations are back to normal," Fahy said Saturday afternoon.

Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital outpatient services will reopen today. All other services reopened Saturday.

Contact crime reporter Lindell Kay at 910-219-8456. Read Lindell's blog at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com. Reporters Suzanne Ulbrich and Jennifer Hlad contributed to this report.