Erratic Hurricane Bonnie Stirs Up Surf, Threatens Southeast Coast
Hurricane Bonnie kicked up pounding surf and deadly riptides along the East Coast Monday as it churned out in the Atlantic with 115-mph wind, its course so erratic that forecasters couldn’t say when or if it might hit land.
“It’s driving me bananas,” said Jerry Jarrell, director of the National Hurricane Center near Miami. “I’ve lost almost all my hair just this morning because of that.”
A hurricane watch was issued Monday afternoon for much of the Southeast coast. The National Weather Service said hurricane conditions were possible by Wednesday morning in an area between Savannah, Ga., and the North Carolina/Virginia state line.
With the storm still far out at sea, many vacationers and surfers stayed put to enjoy the beach while they could, but experienced coastal residents stocked up on emergency supplies or got ready to head for higher ground.
Emergency management workers at Wilmington, N.C., an area battered by Hurricane Fran in September 1996, tested their generators and stocked up on supplies.
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