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ALL ALONG THE Eastern seaboard, tens of thousands of people had evacuated, the nation’s capital was shut down and classes were canceled as projections showed hurricane-force winds lasting all day.
Nearly 1.8 million customers in Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and Washington had lost electricity by early evening as the wind toppled trees onto power lines, including 1.2 million in Virginia. Virginia Gov. Mark Warner alerted residents that “we’ll be without power for several days.”
Isabel was expected to move over Virginia and then Pennsylvania before dissipating in Canada by Saturday. All warnings were canceled at 5 p.m. for areas south of Cape Fear, N.C., but a hurricane warning remained in effect from Surf City north to Chincoteague, Va., on the Maryland line.
A tropical storm warning extended north from there to Moriches Inlet, N.Y., including parts of New York City. Tropical storm-force winds extended outward for 345 miles, creating high winds and heavy surf all the way to New England.
The surf claimed Isabel’s first victim Thursday morning when a man who was watching the storm with his wife while walking their dog on Black Point in Naragansett, R.I., was swept away and drowned, NBC affiliate WJAR-TV of Providence reported. Authorities recovered his body but had not immediately identified him.
In Virginia, another person died in a traffic accident caused by hydroplaning in heavy rain on Interstate 95 in Richmond.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Isabel moves in
Click below for NBC News videos
1 / 10
Measuring the wind
Sept. 18, 2003 — NBC's Brian Williams and meteorologist Mike Seidel are blown down a Virginia Beach, Va., street while measuring the speed of wind gusts between two structures.
2 / 10
Winds build as Isabel comes ashore
Sept. 18, 2003 — “Today’s” Al Roker, in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., reports on the progress of Hurricane Isabel as it approaches the coast.
3 / 10
Isabel nears N.C. coast
Sept. 18, 2003 — NBC’s Robert Hager reports from Atlantic Beach, N.C., with wind, rain and waves building as Hurricane Isabel approaches the coast.
4 / 10
Governors on hurricane readiness
Sept. 18, 2003 — North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley and Virginia Gov. Mark Warner speak with “Today” host Katie Couric about their preparations as Hurricane Isabel hits the coast today.
5 / 10
Storm preps
Sept. 17, 2003 — Experts warn that flooding caused by Isabel, even more than high winds, threatens lives throughout the region.
6 / 10
Storm of 38
Sept. 17, 2003 — NBC’s Bob Faw talks to survivors of the Storm of 1938, who remember walls of water up to 50-feet high.
7 / 10
Hurricane insurance
Sept. 16, 2003 — Hurricane insurance is the last resort for seaside property owners. But with Isabel racing toward shore, can you still buy it?
8 / 10
Isabel seen slowing fuel refining
Sept. 16, 2003 — As people prepare for Hurricane Isabel, fuel refineries have reduced production which could raise gasoline and heating fuel costs.
9 / 10
Development = storm damage
Sept. 15, 2003 — Damage and the potential loss of life increase as seaside development burgeons along the Eastern seaboard.
FLIGHTS CANCELED; HOMES DESTROYED
A quarter-million people were advised to evacuate coastal areas of Virginia and North Carolina. The hurricane drove storm surges far upriver — as far as the nation’s capital, where mandatory evacuation orders were issued for Belle View and New Alexandria, two Virginia suburbs of Washington along the Potomac River.
Officials in communities on the Outer Banks of North Carolina reported severe flooding and heavy damage, with homes collapsing into the sea in some places. But North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley said on NBC’s “Today” show that “it’s the days after” the storm that worried him, because that is when residents start emerging and drownings and deaths from contact with power lines historically are reported.
Transportation on the East Coast was significantly curtailed as Amtrak canceled all train service along the East Coast south of Washington and airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights and shut down 19 major airports.
At one point, arrivals were delayed up to six hours at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
Many cancellations also affected flights scheduled for Friday, and Isabel’s impact could spill over into the weekend. Airlines removed planes from the rain-swept tarmac at Washington’s Reagan-National Airport in the shadow of the capital.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland, a key route to coastal areas, was closed because of high winds.
LANDSLIDES PREDICTED
NBC affiliate WCNC-TV in Charlotte, N.C., reported that the eye of the storm made landfall when it passed over a small strip of land called Portsmith in North Carolina’s Outer Banks about 12:30 p.m. As the calm center of the hurricane raced through, the town briefly was bathed in sunshine and blue skies before the back end of the storm restored the winds and rain.
At 7 p.m. ET, the eye was over Roanoke Rapids, N.C. Maximum sustained winds had weakened but remained near 80 mph, and the storm was moving northwest about 20 mph.
Forecasters said Isabel was capable of spawning tornadoes in eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. But they said that, as with Hurricane Floyd in 1999, the worst damage would more likely come from flooding far inland. The U.S. Geological Survey warned of possible landslides in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York.
Even seasoned storm veterans succumbed to the five days of warnings that started when Isabel was a Category 5 leviathan with 160-mph winds. But a few thousand hardy — or foolhardy — souls ignored mandatory evacuation orders and remained to see whether Isabel would shatter North Carolina’s “Crystal Coast.”
FLOODS LIKELY IN SOAKED AREAS
Isabel descended on the East Coast after a wet spring and summer, and heavy rains were expected to cause severe flooding along the Potomac, Susquehanna and Delaware river basins, as well as smaller streams in New Jersey and Delaware and the eastern parts of Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.
Because the soil is already so saturated, rain will quickly run off, submerging low areas on its way to rivers and streams. Pennsylvania officials said the ground was so sodden that it would take as little as 2 to 4 inches of rain to cause rivers and creeks to spill their banks; more than 9 inches was forecast.
“There’s just nowhere to put the water,” said Ed McDonough, a spokesman for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency.
WIDE AREA OF IMPACT
All told, the U.S. Census Bureau said, tens of millions of people could be affected. The governors of North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Delaware and the mayor of Washington all declared emergencies Wednesday, allowing them to deploy the National Guard and seek federal disaster relief after the storm passes. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey declared emergencies Thursday.
Schools were closed as a precaution across the region.
In the nation’s capital, federal and district offices were closed, and Congress canceled votes so members could return home.
Washington-area bus and subway service was suspended Thursday morning as a precaution. Transit officials said they were concerned that riders could be blown off platforms onto tracks at above-ground stations or blown in front of buses.
“We’ve never shut the whole system down like this, never ever,” said Cheryl Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
President Bush decided to leave Washington for his retreat at Camp David, Md., on Wednesday evening, a day early, to beat the storm. He declared much of North Carolina to be a federal disaster area Thursday and was considering visiting the state to survey the damage.
Weather.com's hurricane tracker
Up and down the Atlantic seaboard, officials and residents took other steps to brace themselves:
The Department of Homeland Security positioned medical teams, search-and-rescue squads and disaster materials — ranging from bottled water to blankets and medicine — in areas threatened by the hurricane.
All 6,000 military and civilian personnel and their families who live on Langley Air Force Base, Va., near Hampton Roads, evacuated by Wednesday. Dozens of Navy ships and submarines sailed out of ports in Virginia and North Carolina to take them out of harm’s way.
The Baltimore Orioles changed Thursday’s game against the New York Yankees from a night game to a day game to avoid the worst of the storm. The switch did not work — the game was suspended after five innings, tied 1-1.
Select a state for details:
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Maryland
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Virginia
• West Virginia
DELAWARE
National Guard activated, with about 100 troops standing by at armories and emergency operations centers. More than 150 people seek refuge in seven shelters. Officials worried that dunes at Indian River Inlet could be breached, flooding U.S. 1.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Federal government closed. Metro subway and bus service suspended. City schools closed. Mayor Anthony Williams declares state of emergency. Officials are taking a wait-and-see approach before opening shelters.
MARYLAND
Chesapeake Bay Bridge closed. Beaches closed in Ocean City. Western Maryland preparing for up to 10 inches of rain. People fleeing low-lying areas began arriving at a shelter in Princess Anne on the lower Eastern Shore. Gov. Robert Ehrlich says 630 National Guard troops on active duty.
NEW JERSEY
Gov. James McGreevey declares a disaster. Extra utility workers are brought in from as far away as Canada in case of power failures. Cape May-Lewes ferry service is suspended. Atlantic City casinos sandbag Boardwalk entrances. Commuters are told high winds and flooding could affect rail system. Tropical storm warning is posted along coast.
NEW YORK
With vestiges of the storm expected to track through the state, officials check emergency plans. Long Island Power Authority warns power failures could affect thousands. Tropical storm warnings issued for parts of New York City, Long Island.
NORTH CAROLINA
Storm hammers mainland; hurricane-strength winds reach islands. Tens of thousands lose electric service. Gov. Mike Easley asks federal government for disaster relief.
PENNSYLVANIA
Gov. Ed Rendell declares state of emergency. Forecasters warn of more flooding in towns west of Philadelphia that had floods earlier in the week.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Wind and rain from storm’s outer bands reach northeastern part of the state. Winds up to 45 mph expected. With the worst of the storm missing the state, officials close the emergency management operations center but say it could be reopened quickly.
VIRGINIA
Outer band of the storm hits Virginia’s coast, knocking out power for more than more than 800,000 customers. Officials say high tide and storm surge could cause worst flooding in 70 years. More than 6,000 people in shelters.
WEST VIRGINIA
U.S. Geological Survey warns of possible landslides caused by heavy rain. High wind warnings posted for much of the state. Many schools closed in the Eastern Panhandle.
MSNBC.COM
Nearly 1.8 million customers in Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and Washington had lost electricity by early evening as the wind toppled trees onto power lines, including 1.2 million in Virginia. Virginia Gov. Mark Warner alerted residents that “we’ll be without power for several days.”
Isabel was expected to move over Virginia and then Pennsylvania before dissipating in Canada by Saturday. All warnings were canceled at 5 p.m. for areas south of Cape Fear, N.C., but a hurricane warning remained in effect from Surf City north to Chincoteague, Va., on the Maryland line.
A tropical storm warning extended north from there to Moriches Inlet, N.Y., including parts of New York City. Tropical storm-force winds extended outward for 345 miles, creating high winds and heavy surf all the way to New England.
The surf claimed Isabel’s first victim Thursday morning when a man who was watching the storm with his wife while walking their dog on Black Point in Naragansett, R.I., was swept away and drowned, NBC affiliate WJAR-TV of Providence reported. Authorities recovered his body but had not immediately identified him.
In Virginia, another person died in a traffic accident caused by hydroplaning in heavy rain on Interstate 95 in Richmond.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Isabel moves in
Click below for NBC News videos
1 / 10
Measuring the wind
Sept. 18, 2003 — NBC's Brian Williams and meteorologist Mike Seidel are blown down a Virginia Beach, Va., street while measuring the speed of wind gusts between two structures.
2 / 10
Winds build as Isabel comes ashore
Sept. 18, 2003 — “Today’s” Al Roker, in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., reports on the progress of Hurricane Isabel as it approaches the coast.
3 / 10
Isabel nears N.C. coast
Sept. 18, 2003 — NBC’s Robert Hager reports from Atlantic Beach, N.C., with wind, rain and waves building as Hurricane Isabel approaches the coast.
4 / 10
Governors on hurricane readiness
Sept. 18, 2003 — North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley and Virginia Gov. Mark Warner speak with “Today” host Katie Couric about their preparations as Hurricane Isabel hits the coast today.
5 / 10
Storm preps
Sept. 17, 2003 — Experts warn that flooding caused by Isabel, even more than high winds, threatens lives throughout the region.
6 / 10
Storm of 38
Sept. 17, 2003 — NBC’s Bob Faw talks to survivors of the Storm of 1938, who remember walls of water up to 50-feet high.
7 / 10
Hurricane insurance
Sept. 16, 2003 — Hurricane insurance is the last resort for seaside property owners. But with Isabel racing toward shore, can you still buy it?
8 / 10
Isabel seen slowing fuel refining
Sept. 16, 2003 — As people prepare for Hurricane Isabel, fuel refineries have reduced production which could raise gasoline and heating fuel costs.
9 / 10
Development = storm damage
Sept. 15, 2003 — Damage and the potential loss of life increase as seaside development burgeons along the Eastern seaboard.
FLIGHTS CANCELED; HOMES DESTROYED
A quarter-million people were advised to evacuate coastal areas of Virginia and North Carolina. The hurricane drove storm surges far upriver — as far as the nation’s capital, where mandatory evacuation orders were issued for Belle View and New Alexandria, two Virginia suburbs of Washington along the Potomac River.
Officials in communities on the Outer Banks of North Carolina reported severe flooding and heavy damage, with homes collapsing into the sea in some places. But North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley said on NBC’s “Today” show that “it’s the days after” the storm that worried him, because that is when residents start emerging and drownings and deaths from contact with power lines historically are reported.
Transportation on the East Coast was significantly curtailed as Amtrak canceled all train service along the East Coast south of Washington and airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights and shut down 19 major airports.
At one point, arrivals were delayed up to six hours at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
Many cancellations also affected flights scheduled for Friday, and Isabel’s impact could spill over into the weekend. Airlines removed planes from the rain-swept tarmac at Washington’s Reagan-National Airport in the shadow of the capital.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland, a key route to coastal areas, was closed because of high winds.
LANDSLIDES PREDICTED
NBC affiliate WCNC-TV in Charlotte, N.C., reported that the eye of the storm made landfall when it passed over a small strip of land called Portsmith in North Carolina’s Outer Banks about 12:30 p.m. As the calm center of the hurricane raced through, the town briefly was bathed in sunshine and blue skies before the back end of the storm restored the winds and rain.
At 7 p.m. ET, the eye was over Roanoke Rapids, N.C. Maximum sustained winds had weakened but remained near 80 mph, and the storm was moving northwest about 20 mph.
Forecasters said Isabel was capable of spawning tornadoes in eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. But they said that, as with Hurricane Floyd in 1999, the worst damage would more likely come from flooding far inland. The U.S. Geological Survey warned of possible landslides in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York.
Even seasoned storm veterans succumbed to the five days of warnings that started when Isabel was a Category 5 leviathan with 160-mph winds. But a few thousand hardy — or foolhardy — souls ignored mandatory evacuation orders and remained to see whether Isabel would shatter North Carolina’s “Crystal Coast.”
FLOODS LIKELY IN SOAKED AREAS
Isabel descended on the East Coast after a wet spring and summer, and heavy rains were expected to cause severe flooding along the Potomac, Susquehanna and Delaware river basins, as well as smaller streams in New Jersey and Delaware and the eastern parts of Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.
Because the soil is already so saturated, rain will quickly run off, submerging low areas on its way to rivers and streams. Pennsylvania officials said the ground was so sodden that it would take as little as 2 to 4 inches of rain to cause rivers and creeks to spill their banks; more than 9 inches was forecast.
“There’s just nowhere to put the water,” said Ed McDonough, a spokesman for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency.
WIDE AREA OF IMPACT
All told, the U.S. Census Bureau said, tens of millions of people could be affected. The governors of North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Delaware and the mayor of Washington all declared emergencies Wednesday, allowing them to deploy the National Guard and seek federal disaster relief after the storm passes. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey declared emergencies Thursday.
Schools were closed as a precaution across the region.
In the nation’s capital, federal and district offices were closed, and Congress canceled votes so members could return home.
Washington-area bus and subway service was suspended Thursday morning as a precaution. Transit officials said they were concerned that riders could be blown off platforms onto tracks at above-ground stations or blown in front of buses.
“We’ve never shut the whole system down like this, never ever,” said Cheryl Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
President Bush decided to leave Washington for his retreat at Camp David, Md., on Wednesday evening, a day early, to beat the storm. He declared much of North Carolina to be a federal disaster area Thursday and was considering visiting the state to survey the damage.
Weather.com's hurricane tracker
Up and down the Atlantic seaboard, officials and residents took other steps to brace themselves:
The Department of Homeland Security positioned medical teams, search-and-rescue squads and disaster materials — ranging from bottled water to blankets and medicine — in areas threatened by the hurricane.
All 6,000 military and civilian personnel and their families who live on Langley Air Force Base, Va., near Hampton Roads, evacuated by Wednesday. Dozens of Navy ships and submarines sailed out of ports in Virginia and North Carolina to take them out of harm’s way.
The Baltimore Orioles changed Thursday’s game against the New York Yankees from a night game to a day game to avoid the worst of the storm. The switch did not work — the game was suspended after five innings, tied 1-1.
Select a state for details:
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Maryland
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Virginia
• West Virginia
DELAWARE
National Guard activated, with about 100 troops standing by at armories and emergency operations centers. More than 150 people seek refuge in seven shelters. Officials worried that dunes at Indian River Inlet could be breached, flooding U.S. 1.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Federal government closed. Metro subway and bus service suspended. City schools closed. Mayor Anthony Williams declares state of emergency. Officials are taking a wait-and-see approach before opening shelters.
MARYLAND
Chesapeake Bay Bridge closed. Beaches closed in Ocean City. Western Maryland preparing for up to 10 inches of rain. People fleeing low-lying areas began arriving at a shelter in Princess Anne on the lower Eastern Shore. Gov. Robert Ehrlich says 630 National Guard troops on active duty.
NEW JERSEY
Gov. James McGreevey declares a disaster. Extra utility workers are brought in from as far away as Canada in case of power failures. Cape May-Lewes ferry service is suspended. Atlantic City casinos sandbag Boardwalk entrances. Commuters are told high winds and flooding could affect rail system. Tropical storm warning is posted along coast.
NEW YORK
With vestiges of the storm expected to track through the state, officials check emergency plans. Long Island Power Authority warns power failures could affect thousands. Tropical storm warnings issued for parts of New York City, Long Island.
NORTH CAROLINA
Storm hammers mainland; hurricane-strength winds reach islands. Tens of thousands lose electric service. Gov. Mike Easley asks federal government for disaster relief.
PENNSYLVANIA
Gov. Ed Rendell declares state of emergency. Forecasters warn of more flooding in towns west of Philadelphia that had floods earlier in the week.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Wind and rain from storm’s outer bands reach northeastern part of the state. Winds up to 45 mph expected. With the worst of the storm missing the state, officials close the emergency management operations center but say it could be reopened quickly.
VIRGINIA
Outer band of the storm hits Virginia’s coast, knocking out power for more than more than 800,000 customers. Officials say high tide and storm surge could cause worst flooding in 70 years. More than 6,000 people in shelters.
WEST VIRGINIA
U.S. Geological Survey warns of possible landslides caused by heavy rain. High wind warnings posted for much of the state. Many schools closed in the Eastern Panhandle.
MSNBC.COM
