Residents along coast prepare for storm

Some places were evacuated while residents in other areas laid in supplies.
MANTEO, N.C. (AP) -- As Hurricane Isabel's more than 100-mph winds swirled toward his coastal home, all Charles Quidley could do was hope that landfall, expected later this week, would be uneventful.
"I've seen storms come and go and I've always been thankful to God I've never been hurt," said Quidley, 59.
While residents up and down the East Coast scrambled to ready themselves and voluntary evacuations were issued, Quidley, his wife and son, Charles Jr., planned to wait in their mobile home because a motel room on the mainland was just too expensive.
"It doesn't look good, but not everybody can afford to leave," Quidley said Monday.
Forecasters said Isabel appeared to be on a course to hit Thursday on the North Carolina coast and up through the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia.
Precautions taken
Military installations were also taking precautions.
In Virginia, 40 ships based in the Norfolk area were ordered to head to sea today to avoid being battered against piers by high winds. Also today, the Air Force planned to fly about 60 planes from Langley Air Force Base in Hampton to Grissom Air Force Base in Indiana, officials said.
About 74 F-15E Strike Eagles at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, N.C., were expected to leave today for Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City, the Air Force said.
School systems along the North Carolina's barrier islands either planned for only teachers to report to work today or to end their day after serving lunch.
All 921 residents of Ocracoke Island, south of Manteo along the state's vulnerable Outer Banks, were ordered to begin evacuating Monday afternoon. A line quickly formed at the ferry dock.
In other islands on the outer banks, residents started boarding windows, moving their vessels inland and checking up on their generators.
Kay Burros and Anne Troutman decided it was time to check their 5,000-watt home generator at Surf City.
"We've had it about 3 years, but haven't cranked it up in a while. It's been so long, we have to read the instructions," Burros said.
Isabel weakened Monday to a Category 3 storm, the National Hurricane Center said. At 5 a.m. EDT today, Isabel's fastest sustained wind had slowed to near 115 mph, down from about 125 mph at 5 p.m. Monday. On Sunday, Isabel's top wind hit 160 mph, making it a Category 5 storm.
Forecasters' prediction
But forecasters said sustained winds would not likely dip lower. "We aren't forecasting too much more weakening for the next 24 hours," said Krissy Williams, a meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
The storm was moving northwest at around 7 mph and was about 660 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina, the hurricane center reported.
Large ocean swells and dangerous surf conditions were already being felt along portions of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic coasts, and a hurricane watch may be issued for portions of the Mid-Atlantic coast later today, the weather service reported.
Williams said the Carolinas could begin to feel the storm's fury Wednesday evening because the tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 200 miles.
Eric Blake, a meteorologist with the center, said people on the East Coast should not let their guard down even if the storm is weakening.
"Hurricanes are notorious for gaining strength as they cross the Gulfstream," he said. "Even if it weakens to a Category 2 hurricane, there's still a lot of potential for danger. People need to be prepared."
Supplies sell out
At Taylor's Do-It Center hardware store in Norfolk, Va., assistant manager George Wolf said he was swamped with customers as soon as the doors opened at 8 a.m., and large batteries and flashlights were sold out.
"You would have thought we were giving stuff away," Wolf said. "I just sold my last 30 sheets of plywood."
Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner declared a state of emergency, putting National Guardsmen, state police and transportation crews on full alert.
Up the coast in Dover, Del., B.J. Whittaker snapped up 10 sheets of plywood at a Lowe's home improvement store. "I can't do anything if the roof blows off, but I can keep my windows from getting broken," he said.
Isabel is the first major hurricane to threaten the mid-Atlantic since Floyd wreaked havoc on the East Coast in September 1999, leading to 56 deaths.
Meanwhile, a storm swirling over the Pacific Ocean south of Mexico's Baja California peninsula reached hurricane strength Monday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported.
Hurricane Linda's maximum sustained winds reached 75 mph.
, with the storm centered 290 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. The hurricane was moving northwest at 12 mph.
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