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The Galveston Daily News from Galveston, Texas • Page 1

Location:
Galveston, Texas
Issue Date:
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1
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BUSH, CLINTON DIPIND ACTIONS BIFOM AMERICAN LBQIOH PAOB 3-A PA.H7 EAST YANDEL.L sfom latin Wednesday Morning, August 26,1992 The Voice of Galveston County for 150 Years Vol. 150, No. 138 Daily 50 Cents Sunday $1.00 County spared Andrew's brunt Matthews Islanders advised to remain By LORA BERNARD The Daily News decided not to evacuate the city for Hurricane Andrew late Tuesday afternoon when it became apparent the storm had definitely turned north toward Louisiana, said City Manager Doug Matthews. Matthews said reports began to show Monday night that the hurricane appeared to be making a northwest shift. At that time, Matthews said he believed Galveston Island would probably be spared.

However, city officials watched the storm throughout the day Tuesday before announcing at 7 p.m. they would not call for an evacuation. Galveston should experience a fairly normal day, Matthews said. List of schools which are closed today Page 11-A. "lit will probably be business as usual." There was a minimal chance Tuesday night that the hurricane would return to a straight westward movement, which would have put it on course for Galveston, Matthews said at a press conference Tuesday night.

"If that happened now, no, we would not have time to evacuate," he said at 7 p.m. A day earlier, Matthews said it appeared the island was out of serious danger, and he expressed reservations then about requesting an evacuation. Tuesday morning, residents of some parts of Dickinson and the Bolivar Peninsula were asked to evacuate. Sea ISLANDERS, 13-A Storm's eye slams coast of Louisiana Tornadoes reported Staff photo by Kevin Baitram Lee Presley and her son Billy gas up their car in High cials called for the evacuation of High Island because Island before heading north to Tyler Tuesday. They of the approach of Hurricane Andrew.

More hurri- were leaving the Bolivar Peninsula after county otfi- cane news on pages 2-A, 11-A, 12-A and 13-A. Bolivar Peninsula plays it safe, evacuates early By JANICE SIMON The Daily News HIGH ISLAND Kristina Schaeffer, 5, was kind of scared of Hurricane Andrew. The kindergarten student was one of 285 students let out from High Island public schools Tuesday. Residents of High Island and the rest of Bolivar Peninsula were asked to evacuate early Tuesday. High Island students and Bolivar students attending Galveston public schools were released early Tuesday.

Kristina admitted she wasn't sure exactly what happens during hurricanes. But she knew what she was taking with her when she evacuated. "I have a white bear," she said. "He's the first bear I ever got." Kristina wasn't the only one thinking about loading up possessions. Gene Martin was packing up the wares from his roadside fruit stand.

Tve been through (Hurricane) Carla," he said. fL've been through all of them. This one I don't plan to stick around for. I'm not going through 140 mph wind." Martin planned to wait out the storm at his Baytown home. Workers at the Little Pair Grocery store had a busy day with people purchasing gasoline and was the big sale of the day, said store manager Dolores Kane.

"Everybody is wanting to get out of town," she said. "We haven't sold out of anything." Lee Presley and her son Billy, 13, were among those filling up their cars. The Presleys were heading to Tyler to escape Andrew's fury. "We're leaving now," Presley said. "It's scary." Few people were boarding up their homes in Crystal Beach.

Niel Svendsen, 30, spent the morning nailing plywood to cover windows on his and his father's houses. Sea BOLJVAR, 13-A Mainland campers mostly heed call to flee By ROBERT HOUGH The Daily News DICKINSON The bulk of his neighbors had heeded the call for residents of low-lying areas of Dickinson to evacuate Tuesday, but Ron Meteney shrugged off the storm threat. "Sixty mile an hour winds would just be a warmup," said Meteney, who lives at the Bayou Campground on state Highway 3 just south of Dickinson Bayou. Tm from Lubbock. At least we won't have golf ball-size hail.

"I've driven this thing in 65 to 70 mph winds," Meteneysaid as he worked to secure his motorhome. "Staying here shouldn't be a problem." Many mainland residents including those who live in Omega Bay and along Highland Bayou were urged to evacuate Tuesday. But Meteney predicted that, if anything, the bayou would recede. "I've talked to some of the veterans. They say that the way the storm's going, the bayou would actually go down." Campground manager Mary Morrison said about 60 of the park's 65 residents had left the area.

"They started loading up this morning," she said. "Most people left early this afternoon." Morrison's daughter, Glenda Shipley, said she too will stay at the campground. "I work for Hi-Tech Ambulance Service in Houston," she said. "They asked me to go to Port Arthur to move patients. I said 111 stick it out with my kids." Debbie Edwards had planned to stay in the campground, but around 4 p.m., she and her husband were heading out.

"My husband wants to go," she said. "We're going to Corpus (Christi)." Nobody was leaving Dickinson's Emergency Management Office. City officials were there throughout the afternoon. City Hall and Dickinson Police Department offices were barricaded by Dickinson Independent School District buses. Police officer Phil Tracy said it was standard procedure to use buses to protect the buildings in times of threatening weather.

Don DeFord, the city's emergency management coordinator, said people had, for the most Associated Press NEW ORLEANS Hurricane Andrew unleashed its ravaging fury on Louisiana Tuesday with 140 mph winds that raked the coastline after residents, roused by scenes of destruction in Florida, boarded up and fled. The storm, blamed for the deaths of at least 17 people in Florida and the Bahamas, was estimated to have caused $15 billion to $20 billion in damages in south Florida. If those preliminary figures hold up, it would be by far the most expensive natural disaster ever in the United States. Andrew began lashing coastal parishes by nightfall. At about 10 p.m., Bob Sheets, director of the National Hurricane Center, said the doughnut-shaped wall of the storm around the eye had struck the marshy coastland, with 140 mph winds.

At least three tornadoes were reported in LaPlace, west prNew Orleans, striking a subdivision and office, authorities said. The sheriff, operating without electricity, called for ambulances and said there were "multiple injuries," but details weren't immediately available, state police Capt. Ronnie Jones said. Earlier, hurricane-force winds over 74 mph prevented sheriffs deputies from responding to rescue calls from a stranded 60-foot boat and stalled cars in Terrebonne Parish south of New Orleans, even though the storm's eye was still about 40 miles offshore, civil defense coordinator Morris Duplantis said. "It's beginning to look pretty bad," he said.

Lockport, east of Terrebonne Parish, lost power at 7:15 p.m. amid reports of 100 mph wind part, heeded the evacuation suggestion. "I think we've had a good response, with people leaving the low-lying areas," he said. Mayor Veta Winick added, "I've seen a lot of people going by who were pulling boats." Surrounded by tracking maps, computers and boards to list problems and resources, DeFord said, "Mostly, we're just standing by." Forecasters at League City's National Weather Service office rolled their chairs around the forecasting center, regularly monitoring several computer screens. Meteorologist-in-charge Bill Read said he had an extra forecaster and assistant forecaster on hand.

La Marque City Manager Nick Finan said wprkers began boarding up city buildings in the afternoon. "Our emergency plan has certain distances and time frames," Finan said. "That's why we boarded up City Hall. When the hurricane was within 300 miles, we boarded up all city facilities!" By 7:30 p.m., with the major storm threat apparently gone, Finan said, The boards will all be down in the morning, I hope." gusts. "We've got trees in the road and power outages all over the place.

We've got 2,700 people in shelters and more out looking for shelters," Lafourche Parish sheriffs Maj. Sonny Hanson said. A turn to the north late Tuesday meant New Orleans could expect 100 mph winds and more hurricane than previously forecast, according to the National Hurricane Center. But the city still was expected to be spared a direct hit as the storm moved farther west toward low-lying Cajun country. The eye, moving just off the coast, was headed for Morgan City, an oil town virtually deserted during the day.

"This swath of damage is going to be somewhere around 40 to 50 miles wide," Sheets said. Flooding was feared as the storm began moving parallel to the coast and slowed, pummeling a wide swath with heavy rain. rain began drenching the coastal area ahead of the storm. Gov. Edwin Edwards declared a state of emergency for all of Louisiana and wrote to the White House requesting a disaster declaration before the hurricane hit.

More than 2 million people in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas were asked or told to leave their coastal homes. Traffic heading north from the Cajun coastland was bumper to bumper for as far as the eye could see on U.S. 90 more than 3.5 miles at one bend. Traffic was also tied up on Interstate 49. A Coast Guard helicopter rescued four people and two dogs from a disabled 65-foot fishing boat in rough seas 50 miles south of Houma.

Sheriffs imposed 6 p.m. to 6 am. curfews along the coast, and banned alcohol sales. Andrew no drag on UWs kickoff GALVESTON Hurricane Andrew may be one of the most destructive hurricanes in history, but it won't stop the United Way of Galveston's campaign luncheon. The annual drive will begin with a luncheon 11:45 a.m.

today at the Moody Civic Center. "I'm used to this sort of thing," Jack Jackson, the indomitable motivational speaker who is todays guest, said just before he boarded a plane from Fort Worth to Galveston Tuesday night. Jackson flew into Hilton Head, S.C., to speak just before Hurricane Hugo struck in September 1989. "If know what you're doing down there, I'm on my way." Armin Cantini, who chairs the drive, said the only thing different about this year's kickofFwill be the informal attire. Some business and government offices will be closed today because of the storm.

Galveston Mayor Barbara Crews said in a prepared statement she was pleased the $760,000 drive will begin on schedule. "The United Way luncheon reminds us of the important human needs in our community that always need to be addressed," she said. GULLlE'S FORECAST THE DAILY NEWS WEATHER GULL PREDICTS: Windy with near hurricane conditions today. A 90 percent chance of thunderstorms. North winds 40 to 50 mph with gusts to hurricane force.

GALVESTON BAY North winds near 35 knots with higher gusts possibly near hurricane force. Bay waters very rough. BEACH WATER 86 degrees PASSING PARADE Happy birthday Galveston CHy Councilman Louis "Chick" Beverly Jackson Brown, Elizabeth A. Mitchell, Bertha Nelson, John Bullacher, Linda Jones, Merle Auit, Sheronda Dearmon, Paul Maxey, Elizabeth Washington, Page Polk, Steven Paul Garcia, Leslie Thompson, Peggy Benjamin, Lola Pearl Miller, Norbeto Bah SM PASSING, 13-A INSIDE Jane Fonda calls acting career quits story, Pags14-A INDEX Business 7A 7-14B Comics Crossword 4B Dear Abby 4B 4B Movies 6C 4A Opinion 8-9C Police, Courts 2A Sports 1-3B TV Listings 6B Weather 2A Celebrating Years Of Service Call 744-3611 For Home Delivery.

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About The Galveston Daily News Archive

Pages Available:
531,484
Years Available:
1865-1999