We were living in Rocky Mount. Hurricane Fran was my first experience with hurricanes. It passed us and went full force into Raleigh NC, 45 minutes west of here.
They had trees down from the winds. Lots of trees down from the wind. Nothing prepared me for Fran. We had an emergency radio that kept broadcasting the storm as it loomed closer. Stupid me thought that it would continue to work through the storm, along with other electrical appliances. I had clothes that I'd washed (always have clothes to wash, the struggle is real). I had put them in the dryer when the storm started and the electrical went out. I took all the clothes out and hung them up.
I had the old timey oil lamps out and ready. The stove is cook-top gas and oven electric, so as long as I could use a match to start the gas stove, we could cook and eat (after the storm is over).
At the beginning of the storm, Gregg and I stood at the back door and looked at the storm. What a strange thing that is. Wind blowing, thunder through the storm was a straggled burring sound. Lightning. We didn't stand there long.
I have a very tall pine tree in my front yard, new my bedroom, and the neighbor beside us has several pine trees that were even taller near my daughters bedroom. Fran hit at night, and I was nervous about sleeping near those trees, so I put an twin mattress in the hallway and Megan and I slept there. my 3 toddler daughter was lying at the bathroom door and there were no lights. She said "I have to go potty". Of course, I am not thinking (half asleep) and say "Go Ahead". Then she cries out "I don't know where the bathroom is". So, I jump up and walk her to the potty. Bless her heart. Stress does not work well on me.
Margaret, Gregg's sister had a huge tree fall in their back yard in Wendell NC. The tree was in her back yard and when it fell, it fell right to the window. When she awoke the next morning and went to look out her kitchen window, all she saw was branches and leaves.
Gregg was working at the City at this point and had to work OT cleaning up the streets. I was able to clear our yard, there was just pine straw everywhere. Fran did very little in our yard, just pine straw and limbs down. Some damage occurred in Rocky Mount, but the brunt was definitely felt west of us.
Wikipedia
Hurricane Fran caused extensive damage in the United States in early September 1996. The sixth named storm, fifth hurricane, and fourth major hurricane of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season, Fran developed from a tropical wave near Cape Verde on August 23. Due to nearby Hurricane Edouard, the depression remained disorganized as it tracked westward, though it eventually intensified into Tropical Storm Fran on August 27. While heading west-northwestward, Fran steadily strengthened into a hurricane on August 29, but weakened back to a tropical storm on the following day. On August 31, Fran quickly re-intensified into a hurricane. By September 2, Fran began to parallel the islands of the Bahamas and slowly curved north-northwestward. Fran peaked as a 120 mph (195 km/h) Category 3 hurricane by early on September 5. Thereafter, Fran weakened slightly, before it made landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina early on September 6. The storm rapidly weakened inland and was only a tropical depression later that day. Eventually, Fran curved east-northeastward and transitioned into an extra tropical cyclone over Ontario early on September 9.
In Florida, high tides capsized a boat with five people aboard, though all were rescued. No significant effects were reported in Georgia. The outer bands of Fran produced high winds and light to moderate rainfall in South Carolina. As a result, numerous trees and power lines were downed, which damaged cars, left over 63,000 people without electricity. Large waves in North Carolina caused significant coastal flooding in some cities. Overall, Fran was attributed to 27 fatalities and $3.2 billion (1996 USD) in damage. Fran is also the most recent hurricane to make landfall in the Carolinas as a major hurricane.
Fran caused coastal damage from the South Carolina border to Topsail Island, North Carolina. Its 12-foot storm surge carried away a temporary North Topsail Beach police station and town hall, housed in a double-wide trailer since Hurricane Bertha's rampage across the same area in July. The Kure Beach Pier was destroyed during the storm as well. Extensive flooding struck the coast around Wrightsville Beach, just up the coast from Cape Fear. In Jacksonville, North Carolina, three schools and several homes were damaged. The storm was most damaging to the barrier islands on the North Carolina coastline.
Inland, the storm caused damage on its way north from Wilmington to Raleigh. Unexpectedly, high wind damage extended along the I-40 corridor up through Raleigh and points north and as far west as Guilford County, damaging historic buildings and trees throughout the Triangle including at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina[19] Classes were canceled for the day at UNC due to a state of emergency in Chapel Hill, and it was almost a week before the university's water supply was drinkable again.
Rain of up to 16 inches (406 mm) deluged interior North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia,[20] bringing dangerous river flooding to much of the mid-Atlantic. Hurricane Fran's thrashing of North Carolina aggravated the state's problems caused by numerous weather disasters in 1996.
At least six people were killed in the Carolinas; most of them were from auto accidents and more died as a result of the shock from the damage of the storm. In North Carolina, 1.3 million people were left without power. In North Topsail Beach and Carteret County, there was over $500 million (1996 USD) in damage and 90% of structures were damaged.[21] One male teenager died from drowning caused by flooding of Crabtree Creek at Old Lassiter Mill in Raleigh. Fran also destroyed the Basketball Gym on the Campus of St. Andrews College in Laurinburg, North Carolina. Hurricane Fran also destroyed 3 piers in Surf City.
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