Ophelia Clings to North Carolina Coast

Hurricane Ophelia refused to leave North Carolina on Thursday, lashing the Outer Banks with rain and wind as coastal residents elsewhere returned home to damaged homes and businesses.

Ophelia just “beat us and beat us and beat us,” one storm-weary resident said before the system was downgraded to a tropical storm Thursday night, when its sustained winds dropped to 70 mph.

Although the weakening storm’s center was expected to stay just offshore, the northern side of Ophelia’s eyewall, the ring of high wind surrounding the eye, could remain over the Outer Banks until midday today, the National Hurricane Center said.

Gov. Michael F. Easley said gauging the scope of the damage was difficult because of the storm’s slow path, first affecting the state’s southeastern coast on Tuesday and then crawling north and east Wednesday and Thursday to its position off the Outer Banks.

“It’s almost like working three different storms,” Easley said.

More than 48,000 homes and businesses remained without power Thursday evening in eastern North Carolina, utilities said. That was down from a peak of about 120,000 the previous night.

It appeared that the mainland had dodged severe flooding, but the wind and waves took a toll.

“We were not expecting this,” said Laurie Garner, whose boyfriend’s restaurant was severely damaged at Salter Path on Bogue Banks. “It just beat us and beat us and beat us.”

Salter Path Fire Capt. Joey Frost estimated that as many as 25 people had to be rescued. In neighboring Emerald Isle, six houses were destroyed and more than 120 had major damage, Fire Capt. Bill Walker said.

Ophelia, an erratic storm that has looped and meandered north since forming off the Florida coast last week, stalled early Thursday afternoon, then resumed a slow eastward drift toward the open ocean, the hurricane center said.

The storm was blamed for one traffic death. Earlier, a surfer disappeared in rough water off the coast of South Carolina.

On the Outer Banks, Dare County officials said Hatteras Island reported gusts to 95 mph.

Other than power outages, Hatteras Island was in good shape, said county spokeswoman Sharon Sullivan.

Farther north on the Outer Banks, most businesses remained open in Nags Head and Manteo.