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A few applications for emergency aid remain to be reviewed in the fraud investigation. Nearly four dozen local social services employees were fired, disciplined or quit amid investigations into whether they lied to qualify for emergency food stamps following Hurricane Isabel.

VIRGINIA BEACH — After three days of digging, workers trying to solve the mystery of a sunken shipwreck at Lynnhaven Inlet on Friday finally found what they wanted most: the cannon. “We got it!” said Keith B. Lockwood, an environmental scientist with the Army Corps of Engineers. The corps is leading an effort to recover and identify pieces of the wreck, which is perhaps 300 years old, and clear the channel for boaters. Lockwood said a salvage crane was bringing up less and less debris when it hit something big and heavy. When the load was dumped onto the barge,...

CHESAPEAKE — A church bus pulled up in front of Marcel Sims’ South Norfolk home Monday, and a group of teens piled out, carrying paint, nails, hammers and cleaning fluids. The youths, part of a volunteer project called World Changers, were there to fix Sims’ ceiling, replace a wooden gate destroyed by Hurricane Isabel and paint her garage. Throughout South Norfolk, about 350 youth volunteers were busy Monday renovating or refurbishing homes. It is the first time that World Changers, a project that has repaired 7,500 homes in 375 communities, has volunteered in Chesapeake. “I appreciate it,” said Sims, whose...

Union Soldiers Reburied at Yorktown Zinie Chen Sampson/Associated Press May 30, 2004 RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The remains of six Civil War soldiers, unearthed when Hurricane Isabel struck Virginia last year, were reburied Sunday at Yorktown National Cemetery. The Union soldiers were reinterred during a ceremony that featured both Union and Confederate re-enactors, who honored the dead with firing volleys and a bugler playing taps. Each of the six caskets - handmade by members of the 1st Texas Infantry, a local Confederate re-enactment unit - had a Confederate and a Union escort. Women dressed in 19th-century apparel placed flowers on...

Seven...soldiers whose graves were opened by Hurricane Isabel will be reinterred Sunday in Yorktown National Cemetery...Confederate re-enactors from the area contributed time and money to build caskets modeled on those used at the time of the original burials in 1866, and will participate in the ceremony.

JAMES CITY -- Despite a staggering estimate of $11.4 million in damages, Colonial National Historical Park representatives insist that artifacts flooded in the Historic Jamestowne Visitor Center by Hurricane Isabel will be restored and ready when a new collections building opens by 2007. Let's hope so, because Congress is watching. “I'm going to be anxiously waiting to see what they find,” Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-1st) said this week, referring to a National Park Service investigation into the flooding. “I'm hoping we didn't do anything wrong, and we can learn from it if we were to have another disaster.” Elaine...

<p>WASHINGTON - Sen. George Allen, who had parted ways with the White House and favored making a loan of rebuilding aid for Iraq, reversed himself on a key vote and backed President Bush.</p> <p>When the Senate defied Bush and voted Thursday night to convert almost half of $20.3 billion for Iraq reconstruction into a loan, Allen, R-Va., voted in the minority.</p>

The Third Infantry Regiment at Fort Myer has the responsibility for providing ceremonial units and honor guards for state occasions, White House social functions, public celebrations and interments at Arlington National Cemetery. They also stand a very formal sentry watch at the Tombs of the Unknowns. The public is familiar with the precision of what is called. "walking post" at the Tombs. There are roped off galleries where visitors can form to observe the troopers and their measured step and almost mechanical silent rifle shoulder changes. They are relieved every hour in a very formal drill that has to be...

<p>BERLIN, Connecticut (AP) -- Hurricane Isabel brought unholy high winds and lashing rain to the East Coast. It also dumped something almost biblical on Connecticut.</p> <p>Primo D'Agata was startled by what he thought was hail smacking on his porch September 19 as the remnants of Isabel moved through the state. But when he went outside to investigate, D'Agata discovered tiny, gelatinous eggs with dark spots in the middle.</p>

<p>According to the federal government, all Americans should have “ready kits” or "go bags" containing items such as three days worth of water, non-perishable food, a flashlight, an AM/FM radio and a first-aid kit in case of a natural or manmade emergency.</p>

Primo D 'Agata holds a jar containing a sample of the amphibian eggs at his Berlin, Conn., home Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2003, that fell on his back deck in Berlin, Conn., on Sept. 19, 2003 as the remnants of Hurrican Isabel passed Connecticut. Naturalists and biologists think the eggs belong to a variety of frog found in North Carolina that were swept up by the hurricane, carried by the storm to New England and were deposited there. (AP Photo/Bob Child) BERLIN, Conn. - Hurricane Isabel brought unholy high winds and lashing rain to the East Coast. It also dumped...

U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Rose by 13,000 to 399,000 Last Week Oct. 2 (Bloomberg) -- The number of Americans filing initial applications for unemployment benefits rose last week, the government reported, a sign that economic growth has yet to boost demand for workers. First-time claims during the week that ended Saturday totaled 399,000, an increase of 13,000 from a revised 386,000 a week earlier, the Labor Department said in Washington. The department said about half of the rise came from workers who had been unable to submit claims during Hurricane Isabel. Companies trying to hold down costs have been reluctant...

* Coffee and frozen pizzas can be made on a BBQ grill * No matter how many times you flick the switch, lights don't work without electricity * My car gets 23.21675 miles per gallon, EXACTLY (you can ask the people in line who helped me push it) * Kids can survive 4 days or longer without a video game controller in their hand. * Cats are even more irritating without power * He who has the biggest generator wins * Women can actually survive without doing their hair- you just wish they weren't around you. * A new method...

Written in sand Storms repeatedly open and close inlets on HatterasBY BILL GEROUX TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 29, 2003From the air, it's easy to see how HurricaneIsabel ripped a new inlet between thevillage of Hatteras and the rest of the island, severing North Carolina Route 12. DON LONG/TIMES-DISPATCH From the air, it's easy to see how Hurricane Isabel ripped a new inlet between the village of Hatteras and the rest of the island, severing North Carolina Route 12. DON LONG/TIMES-DISPATCH HATTERAS, N.C. - The new inlet is a nasty piece of work. It is a gash one-third of a mile...

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Hurricane Isabel flooded classrooms and laboratories at the Naval Academy, destroying electrical systems and computers and causing tens of millions of dollars in damage on the military college's waterfront campus.</p> <p>Half of the academy's classroom space was still unusable yesterday and midshipmen had to move to the auditorium, field house and basketball arena for some classes, said Cmdr. Rod Gibbons, an academy spokesman.</p>

Watch exclusive video of Hurricane Isabel hitting Hampton Roads - before, during and after the storm. Before the Storm: Locals hunker down for Isabel's onslaught (Requires Real Player Plug-in) During the Storm: Hurricane Isabel hits the region (Requires Real Player Plug-in) After the Storm: Local residents clean up after the hurricane (Requires Real Player Plug-in)

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world. A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in...

FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- As you may have heard, we in the Washington, D.C., area experienced a genuine, honest-to-goodness hurricane last week. The pre-storm hype was what we've come to expect here whenever nature shows the smallest signs of temper. I recall fondly a radio announcer from the 1980s who used to tease Washingtonians by leaning very close to the microphone on days when snow was in the forecast and intoning: "Ladies and gentlemen. It is going to snow. We are all doomed." Still, a hurricane is nothing to be cavalier about, and we took the necessary precautions -- batteries,...

<p>The skies were as clear and blue as the sea, and uncluttered by clouds.</p> <p>This postcard-perfect weather made the forecast all the more implausible. Surely this hurricane talk was part of some vast conspiracy to enrich the grocers, bakers, battery manufacturers and candlestick makers. Hurricane my eye, I decided; Don't believe the hype.</p>

Mon September 22, 2003 08:14 AM ET NEW YORK (Reuters) - About 1.2 million homes and businesses in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia still had no power Monday morning after Hurricane Isabel marched up the East Coast, utilities said. The powerful storm left more than 6 million customers in the dark from the Carolinas to Canada. The utilities said it would be the end of the week before they restore power to all customers. "This is a Herculean task. We've already restored power to more than 1 million customers. The bulk of the rest should be back on...

Solomons Island, MDcenter right is the Tiki Bar, at low tide the next morning:Solomon's Pier -- there used to be a gazebo & bar at the end: Norfolk, VANaval base fleet parking lot: Anne Arundel County, MD St. Mary's County, MDColtons Point Marina -- yacht broke through Havre de Grace, MDWhat's left of the promenade: Baltimore Inner HarborHard Rock Cafe:Pratt St. crosswalk Old Town Alexandria, VA Northern VAD.C. Takoma Park, MD (downed power line)Portsmouth, VA

WHITE HOUSE LETTER President Bush spends hours each day of his Texas vacation with his trusty chain saw, happily cutting up the cedar trees that he is determined to clear one of these decades from his 1,600-acre ranch. Clearly, putting in time with the saw is recreation for Mr. Bush, a sweat-through-the-T-shirt kind of guy activity that clears his head and helps him relax. Because when it came to clearing the North Lawn of the White House last week of a big linden tree felled by Hurricane Isabel, Mr. Bush left the chain-sawing to the National Park Service and stayed...

Does the US government disaster aid assist those who have built homes in vulnerable areas such as the Outer Banks of North Carolina and don't have flood insurance -if flood insurance is even available?Does US Government assistance subsidize wealthy home owners (vacation homes) who have chosen to build in these vulnerable areas?

As the tattered remains of Hurricane Isabel blew off over Canada last week, the once formidable Category 5 storm left in its wake not only flooded streets, downed power lines and grieving families but also a sense of rising menace. That's because a growing number of scientists believe that conditions favorable for brewing more and even bigger hurricanes in the Atlantic locked into place about eight years ago and will probably persist for at least a decade and maybe longer. "We're not talking about a minor little increase," says Stanley Goldenberg, a hurricane expert with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

A growing number of Americans are converting their portable gasoline generators into emergency backup power systems. The minimum size recommended for home-emergency use is a 5,000-watt generator (starting around $500), which can power multiple appliances for 8 hours. Portable generators are available at home improvement stores and warehouse clubs around the country, and may become scarce during a blackout. Extension Cords The most common way to use a portable generator is to place it outdoors, then run an extension cord(s) through an open window or door to the chosen appliance. This approach works well for smaller generators because you can...

washingtonpost.com Fairfax City Neighbors Make Do -- Together Storm Brings Out Friends, Generators By S. Mitra Kalita Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, September 20, 2003; Page B01 The generator on Ronnie Vannoy's front lawn still had one three-pronged outlet available. He had already extended a long orange cord through his back fence to one neighbor, snaked a second through a side yard to another and flung a third across Ruby Road to still another. As Vannoy's four dogs barked and growled at the buzzing machine, the Rev. Nelson Barry stopped his red pickup truck in front of Vannoy's house yesterday...

As Hurricane Isabel tore through Eastern North Carolina, it picked on some of North Carolina's most vulnerable areas: the fragile Outer Banks and the largely poor, rural northeast corner. Now, the state and its residents are trying to figure out how to fix crumbled roads, broken power lines and waterlogged houses. By Friday night, three people were known to have died in the storm. An estimated 283,000 were without power, down from a high of 700,000, and 70,000 had no phone service. In the northeast, the lights might not be back on for as long as two weeks, utility officials...

These photos of hurricane Isabel were taken by the Expedition 7 Crew aboard the International Space Station Saturday morning, 13 September 2003.

<p>For such a large, messy storm, Hurricane Isabel picked its victims with precision, and Tormeka Daughtery was one of them.</p> <p>With the winds of up to 100 mph gone, Daughtery lined up with dozens of others in front of a Salvation Army kitchen staffed with Asheville workers.</p>

The possible impact of Hurricane Isabel on the East Coast has forced NASCAR to make the unprecedented move of canceling Friday's qualifying for the Winston Cup and Busch Series at Dover International Speedway. The MBNA America 400 Winston Cup race and the Stacker 200 Busch race will still be run as scheduled. The Cup race is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, while the Busch race is schedule for 1 p.m. Saturday. Not since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 has NASCAR canceled any or all of a weekend's schedule so early in the week. That year, the...

Sept. 19— As you watch those pictures of houses under assault from Hurricane Isabel, doesn't it make you wonder: Why do people build their homes so close to the water? They must have known a hurricane might do this. Why would they take such a foolish risk? Well, people take the risk, because our government encourages us to take it. I know all about this, because I did it myself. In 1980, I bought some beachfront property on Long Island, N.Y., and built a house there. It was a big investment for me. The down payment took just about all...

<p>Caught between Isabel and Hillary, Wesley Clark, who may actually think he's running for president, finally made his debut on the national political scene, and a soggy day it was.</p> <p>Isabel was actually not much of a storm, but enough rain got to Washington yesterday to shut down the government (never a bad thing), rout Congress and send the president abandoning the White House, which looks substantial enough, and fleeing to the Catoctin Mountains in search of a bed big enough to crawl under.</p>

Local Television has a reporter doing live remotes this morning at Viginia Beach. Her entire report consists of standing beachside of the dunes and marveling at how the ocean (in her own words) "has actually washed sand into the beach grass". This the same woman who repeatedly said in her reports yesterday that Virgina Beach was expected to receive a 20-30 storm surge. Last night on another channel, a reporter was giving his take on the storm and says "I want the camera to follow me", he walks a few few and says" "here is some damage, see that flag...

Well, Blow Me Down: Anchor Brian Williams may be losing his grip as he gives a report on the hurricane from the hurricane. Television news took on a bizarre look during the coverage of Hurricane Isabel yesterday - with the images of correspondents literally blowing in the wind. A cadre of newsmen - including NBC News anchor Brian Williams - rushed out to ape Dan Rather's coverage of Hurricane Opel in 1995, when he strapped himself to a lamp post. They struggled to stand in powerful winds and rain, leaving some viewers wondering why they were there in the...

(CNSNews.com) - As Hurricane Isabel bears down on the East Coast, environmentalists in Washington, D.C., are linking the caprice of Mother Nature to global warming. "Weather-related disasters are occurring with ever-greater intensity and frequency around the world," stated a press release from the environmental group Worldwatch Institute on Wednesday. Citing "clear connections" that global warming and Hurricane Isabel are inter-related, Worldwatch stated, "Heat in the atmosphere is the fuel that leads to stormy weather, and meteorological studies indicate that rising temperatures will tend to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme storms, particularly the violent thunderstorms that occur in some...

September 19, 2003 Guards at Tomb of the Unknowns Stand Tall By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 3:02 a.m. ET ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) -- As the winds from Hurricane Isabel swept over Arlington National Cemetery, the soldiers who guard the Tomb of the Unknowns were given -- for the first time in history -- permission to abandon their posts and seek shelter. ``They told us that. But that's not what's going to happen,'' said Sgt. Christopher Holmes, standing vigil on overnight duty. ``That's never an option for us. It went in one ear and right out the other.'' The monument...

<p>RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Hurricane Isabel knocked out power to more than 4.5 million people as it weakened into a tropical depression after swamping tidal communities along Chesapeake Bay, uprooting trees, disrupting air traffic and shutting down the nation's capital.</p>

ARLINGTON, Va. - As the winds from Hurricane Isabel swept over Arlington National Cemetery, the soldiers who guard the Tomb of the Unknowns were given - for the first time in history - permission to abandon their posts and seek shelter. "They told us that. But that's not what's going to happen," said Sgt. Christopher Holmes, standing vigil on overnight duty. "That's never an option for us. It went in one ear and right out the other."The monument was established in 1921 with the interment of an unknown World War I soldier. A sentry has been posted there continuously since...

<p>The American Red Cross is facing a serious shortfall in its disaster-relief fund and, as it prepares to respond to fallout from Hurricane Isabel, officials from the agency are calling on the public to help.</p> <p>"We're looking for Americans and our corporate partners to help us replenish our funds," said Red Cross spokeswoman Kara Bunte. "They've always found it in the past and we believe they'll do it this time as well."</p>

<p>Those weren't buoys bobbing in the muddy waters of the Potomac yesterday as Hurricane Isabel waltzed into town. They were hearty souls in wet suits, windsurfing.</p> <p>And the two guys taking turns yanking five-pound catfish out of the river had nothing to gain but some kudos for bravery and a freezer full of seafood.</p>

<p>Joe Sumego stood in the middle of Valley View Drive in the Franconia area of Fairfax yesterday and watched a colleague slice apart one of Hurricane Isabel's first Washington-area victims &#8212; a tall tree that snapped in two.</p> <p>One half of the tree rested on an overhead power line, wiping out electricity to the neighborhood. Mr. Sumego, a lineman for Dominion Virginia Power, and his crew came to restore power once a second group of workers had removed the tree.</p>

<p>MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. &#8212; Residents in this seaport city of nearly 7,700 people flocked to shelters and motels to escape high winds, blowing rain and the flooding caused by Hurricane Isabel, which made landfall 30 miles northeast of here yesterday afternoon.</p>

<p>A weakening Hurricane Isabel left the Washington metropolitan area at a standstill, as the storm knocked out power to tens of thousands overnight and shut down public transportation, schools and local government offices for the second day in the row today.</p>

Isabel Pounds Eastern Seaboard; 14 Dead By BOB LEWIS, Associated Press Writer RICHMOND, Va. - Hurricane Isabel knocked out power to more than 3.5 million people as it weakened into a tropical storm and raced up the Eastern Seaboard on Friday, swamping tidal communities along Chesapeake Bay, uprooting trees, disrupting air traffic and shutting down the nation's capital. The massive storm was blamed for at least 14 deaths: nine in Virginia; two in Maryland and one each in New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. The storm plowed into North Carolina's Outer Banks on Thursday night with winds of about 100...

Through the week, many of us heard of FReepers who were in the path of Isabel. I personally know Gabz, Corin Stormhands and Consitution Day were in the area. I thought it would be a good idea if we had a thread to ask if someone is ok and let them check in. Prayers to our FRiends in harms way. Thanks!

KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. - Hurricane Isabel plowed into North Carolina's Outer Banks with 100 mph winds and pushed its way Thursday up the Eastern Seaboard, weakening to a tropical storm by evening but not before swamping roads and knocking out power to more than 2.5 million people. Isabel was blamed for at least two traffic deaths and the electrocution of a utility employee. The storm that had once threatened 160 mph winds and a 12-foot storm surge rolled in around midday just south of isolated Ocracoke Island with a 5-foot surge and gusts that rattled plywood boards spray-painted "Bring...

Isabel was downgraded to a tropical storm tonight after it left two dead, nearly 1.8 million homes and businesses without power. Air travel was disrupted across the East as the storm crossed North Carolina's Outer Banks and headed north of Roanoke Rapids. A utility worker with the Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative was electrocuted while restoring power. Harold T. Anderson Jr., 48, of Salter Path, left behind a wife and two children. In Virginia, a motorist on Interstate 95 near Richmond died in a crash blamed on heavy rains. "This is the worst I've seen in 35 years," said J.D. Brickhouse, Tyrrell...

Delco is Delaware County Pa. in suburban Philly. It's not a great pix but Isabel is here.

President Bush on Thursday declared large parts of North Carolina and Virginia hammered by Hurricane Isabel major disaster areas, freeing up federal funds to aid recovery efforts. The White House said federal funding would supplement state and local efforts in cities and counties hardest hit by the storm. The federal government could help pay for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners "recover from the effects of the disaster," the White House said. Bush left Washington for the Camp David presidential retreat on Wednesday, a day...

Miramar-based Maritime Telecommunications Network, which earlier this year built for NBC the satellite-based mobile communications platform widely known as the "Bloommobile," today announced the special-purpose truck is helping the NBC network in its live coverage of Hurricane Isabel. MTN, which makes satellite-based communications, networking and other services for the cruise and offshore oil and gas industries, designed the vehicle NBC reporter David Bloom used to broadcast live reports from the war zone in Iraq before his death there April 6. "NBC's use of the Bloommobile further confirms the versatility and value of this unique satellite-based mobile communications platform," said David...