Hurricane Isabel kills 14 in U.S.

[Althalus]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hurricane Isabel left 14 dead, 4.5 million homes and businesses without power from the Carolinas to New York and the U.S. capital shut down for a second day, as it moved inland toward the Great Lakes, a weakened but still threatening storm.

Isabel sideswiped the nation's capital which had battened down in the face of record winds and rainfall and cut a path of destruction on Thursday through the North Carolina and Virginia shorelines with winds of up to 100 mph (160 kph).

" We have trees on houses everywhere -- we have roofs that have been blown off "-J.D. Brickhouse, Tyrell County

The worst damage was caused by winds and rains that downed tens of thousands of trees and pushed rivers and streams to record flood levels across a region already saturated with above-average rainfall.

There was widespread travel disruption on the East Coast.

Relieved insurers now expected the bill for damages to be less than $1 billion, only a quarter of the $4 billion feared earlier in the week when Isabel screeched across the Atlantic as a category 5 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale.

"It was no Fran or Floyd, but for the folks who have trees in their living rooms, that's little comfort," North Carolina emergency management spokesman Mark Van Sciver said, referring to previous devastating hurricanes in 1992 and 1999.

Yahoo News

[Seraphina]

*has a friend living somewhere around there, and is more than a little worried, as she hasn't heard from him since yesterday morning*

[Nancy]

In case you didn't catch this Thread, thought you should see it.

Things around the East Coast of the US are in quite a mess, to be blunt.

Billions of dollars of damage and power/telephone outages may persist for days to weeks, for many. Extensive flooding is causing a great deal of damage and emotional stress/strain.

I realize you may be very worried, but please give it some time. I hope this helps.

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum...68259entry68259