The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, September 17, 2003, Image 5

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    AGGIELJFI NATION
y. September 17,2(k| THE BATTALION
Thousands told to evacuate East Coast
More than 10,000 leave due to Hurricane Isabel
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By Emery P. Dalesio
THE ASSOCIATED PRESSft
MANTEO, N.C. — Traffic
urged off the Outer Banks
island chain Tuesday as more
than 100,000 people were
urged to evacuate the North
Carolina coast before the
arrival of Hurricane Isabel,
which had weakened but
emained a dangerous storm
on a track toward land.
The National Hurricane
Center posted a hurricane
watch from Little River Inlet,
S.C., to Chincoteague, Va.,
including Pamlico and
Albemarle Sounds and a large
part of Chesapeake Bay.
On tiny, low-lying Tangier
Island in Chesapeake Bay,
Wallace Pruitt stored outdoor
furniture at the bed-and-break-
fast inn he runs with his wife,
Shirley.
“I don't usually get too excit
ed about something like this, but
this one has so much force I’ve
been preparing for two days.”
said Pruitt, 63.
Forecasters said Isabel
appeared to be on a course to
hit Thursday on the North
Carolina coast and move north
ward through eastern Virginia.
Large swells and dangerous
surf already were being felt
along the coast.
The storm’s maximum sus
tained wind had decreased to
about 105 mph. More weaken
ing was possible but the storm
could strengthen again before
landfall, the National Hurricane
[' Center said in Miami.
The latest evacuation orders
here for the low-lying Outer
Bgnks islands, including an esti
mated 75,000 people from
Hatteras to Duck in Dare
County, plus 15,000 to 20,000 in
Currituck County north to the
[Virginia state line and 13,000
along beaches near Morehead
I TCV ' ■ • • • ' ■ I, :
City in Carteret County. A day
earlier, hundreds of residents of
vulnerable Ocracoke and Bald
Head islands were ordered to
evacuate.
Thousands of vacationers
and residents left Outer Banks
on Tuesday but traffic was mov
ing smoothly. With the storm
weakening, many residents
appeared ready to stay put.
On Hatteras Island, Margie
and Joe Brecker screwed ply
wood onto the door and win
dows of their Christmas gift
shop in Rodanthe, but left up
the colored holiday lights. They
planned to stay.
“That way, we are right here
when it’s time to clean up, and
we’re able to help others,”
Margie Brecker said.
Despite the order. Dare
County spokeswoman Dorothy
Toolan said no one would be
forced to leave.
At 2 p.m. EDT Tuesday,
Isabel’s maximum sustained
wind had slowed to near 105
mph. down from about 125
mph at 5 p.m. Monday, making
it a Category 2 storm. On
Sunday, Isabel’s wind had hit
160 mph, making it a Category
5 storm.
The storm was moving north-
northwest at around 7 mph and
was about 595 miles southeast
of North Carolina’s Cape
Hatteras, the hurricane center
reported.
Hurricane center meteorolo
gist Eric Blake said people
should not let their guard down
even though the storm was
weakening.
“Hurricanes are notorious
for gaining strength as they
cross the Gulf Stream,” he said.
Even at a Category 2, he added,
“there’s still a lot of potential
for danger.”
North of Manteo in Virginia,
ships from the Navy’s Atlantic
Fleet started heading out to sea
Major hurricanes remembered
Forecasters said Hurricane
Isabel appeared to be on a
course headed for the eastern
coast Wednesday night or
early Thursday. Major
hurricanes in recent memory:
0 300 mi
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Antibiotics
fail to help
heart trouble
By Lindsey Tanner
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Study Abroad to
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Diane 1955
Carta 1961
Agnes 1972
Donna 1960
SOURCES: National Weather Service; IRIS Consortium
AP
Tuesday from Norfolk, Va., and
Earle, N.J., to sail out of the hur
ricane’s direct path and avoid
being battered against their
piers. The Air Force had started
flying airplanes from coastal
bases to fields inland.
Moving the ships, manned by
some 13,000 sailors, costs “in
the millions” but the expense
would be far greater if the ships
were battered in port, said Adm.
Robert J. Natter, commander of
the Norfolk-based Atlantic
Fleet. “We cannot afford to have
these very expensive, valuable
national assets caught in port in
a storm like this.”
Isabel hadn’t veered from its
expected track, said Lt. Dave
Roberts, a Navy meteorologist
at the hurricane center. After
landfall it could spread heavy
rain from North Carolina all
the way to the New England
states, he said.
Emergency officials in
Maryland and Pennsylvania,
where the ground already is sat
urated in places by a wet sum
mer, had started planning for the
possibility of high wind and
heavy rain by Friday morning.
The storm could enter
Pennsylvania with wind just
below the hurricane-strength
threshold of 74 mph, said
weather service meteorologist
John LaCorte in State
College, Pa.
New Jersey officials started
preparations in areas where
Isabel could cause flooding,
including Bound Brook, where
the Raritan River peaked at 20
feet over flood stage when
Hurricane Floyd struck in 1999,
and two people died.
Virginia Gov. Mark R.
Warner had already declared a
state of emergency, putting
National Guardsmen, state
police and transportation crews
on full alert and activating about
500 National Guard troops.
Isabel is the first major hur
ricane to threaten the mid-
Atlantic since Floyd wreaked
havoc on the East Coast in
September 1999, causing 56
deaths.
CHICAGO —Antibiotics
failed to ward off heart trou
ble in the biggest study yet to
test the theory that low-level
infections play a major role
in triggering heart attacks.
Researchers said they are
not yet ready to give up on
the idea.
The study, published in
Wednesday’s Journal of the
American Medical
Association, involved 7,722
heart attack patients from
North America. Europe,
Argentina and India. Taking
antibiotics failed to reduce
their risk of death or further
heart trouble over two years.
In recent years, some
research has suggested that
painless infiammation from
such things as lingering res
piratory or urinary infections
or even chronic gum disease
triggers heart attacks by con
tributing to the formation of
clots in the blood vessels.
Smaller studies have sug
gested that antibiotics tar
geting such infections might
reduce the risk of heart dis
ease. and some doctors have
begun to give heart patients
antibiotics based on those
findings.
The new study suggests
that practice is premature,
said Dr. Christopher
O’Connor of Duke
University, the lead author.
Still, his study suggests
there may be some short-term
benefits from antibiotic treat
ment as well as a slight
reduction in heart trouble in
patients with more than one
risk factor, such as those who
smoke and have diabetes.
College Sk! h Board Week
Breck, Vail,
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& Keystone
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Know that you are
the source of joy!
The Art of Living Course
Phone: 450-1535
Email:
ArtOfliving@tamu.edu
The Art of Living Club
COOL STUFF
WANTED!
Plato’s Closet® is a new retail store
that buys and sells gently used, brand
name teen and young adult apparel
and accessories! We’re stocking up
for our new store in College Station
at Post Oak Square. We’re looking
for gently used, brand name clothing
and accessories and more. Sell us
your cool clothing, outwear, shoes,
and accessories and get paid on the
spot for all items accepted.
Accepting Girls size 14 to Junior size
15. Guys size 14 to 38 waist.
Clothing must be in good condition
and current style.
Now Buying!
No appointment necessary.
PLATES
CLOSET
1104-A Harvey Rd.
College Station, TX 77840
(979) 694-8440
US
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Career Center
Drawing for 5 - $100 Gift Certificates
ite You
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REGISTERED!
http://careercenter.tamu.edu
Registration plugs you into:
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Career Center
Texas A&M University
With you every step of the way
Register online with the Career Center
before Sept. 22 to be entered
in a drawing for a $100 gift certificate!