N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r - 1 9 9 6

Surviving Fran

satellite image of fran
off the coast of Florida heading north towards North Carolina

As Fran neared the North Carolina coast, the Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf closed and students headed to their homes. With 115 mile per hour winds and a 25-mile eye, Fran killed 21 people and caused $1 billion worth of damage. Here are the first hand accounts of the ENCSD students.

I had been through hurricane Bertha and I thought Fran would be nothing... boy was I wrong... As Fran got closer, I could feel the house shaking. The flooding was terrible. There used to be two lakes here, connected by the Neuse River... now there's just the Neuse River. It covers everything. The lakes are gone.
Randy Sanderson, 17.

Hurricane Bertha had hit the same spot and we had no problems, so we didn't expect Fran to be serious. But mom bought extra batteries and we had a lot of dry food because we live country style. I worried about my grandfather and sister, who live on Topsail Island. Topsail Island was destroyed. It is three islands now. Our place was back from the beach, but it made no difference. Everything my sister and grandfather ever owned is gone. At least they are all right... The hurricane taught me that people should think about their life... If something happens they will be grateful that they have memories. My advice to Deaf people is to cherish everything and not take it for granted.
Robyn Craig, 16.

© NBC News
I lived on Topsail Island. We lost almost everything. We had to leave our home. We went to a hotel. There was nothing to do but watch TV and sleep. After the hurricane, I went back to school. My mom told me that our house was wrecked and everything was all mixed up and sticky and dirty. The living room was full of broken glass and fish. My mom cried and I cried too. I miss my dolls. We will not move back to Topsail Island. We will clean up and get out. I don't like the hotel, but it is too late now. We will get a new house.
Brandy Potts, 16.

We had extra batteries and supplies, and cooked on a gas stove. People got into trouble who were not prepared. I was upset that we did not have captions on TV. I thought nothing was going to happen. But it did anyway.
Robert Webber, 13.

When I heard about Fran, I thought on no I don't want to go home- -I want to stay here and play football! I am the quarterback. We were supposed to play the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) in Washington, D.C. MSSD is a good team, but my team is more motivated... I thought maybe we could play Monday instead of Saturday... but the hurricane came and we all went home. Now we are re-scheduled. We'll play MSSD next year.
Patrick Squire, 15.

A few days after the hurricane, the floods hit. We lived in a mobile home near the Neuse River. There was water in the living room up to our hips. All the furniture was ruined. My mother found another home. We are not going back to live near the river any more.
Donnell Finnamon, 14.

We hid in a room away from the windows. I felt scared to die. After it was over? Whew.
Pernell Davis, 18.

For additional information about Hurricane Fran check the following web pages:
Jacksonville Daily News
Pictures of Topsail Beach devastation by Jerry Oakes
National Weather Service, Wilmington, NC

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