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Q PEOPLE I > j , . Hurricane Fran stops Bernie cold in North Carolina By Bill Hunt The Intelligencer A Belleville man kayaking to the Florida Keys took refuge Thursday from Hurricane Fran at a golf course a few kilometres from Cedar Point, N.C. Bernie Gray, 56, says the commu- nity of Cedar Point is still recovering from the damage caused by Hurri- cane Bertha that struck the area in July. He was at the Waterway Inn ho- tel in Cedar Point when contacted by The Intelligencer Thursday. 'These people just finished put- ting the carpet down and are not finished painting yet from the last one, so they are not very happy campers/' said Gray of hotel staff. Uprooted trees are still on the ground and "nine out of 10 docks are still smashed from the last hurri- cane. People are dashing back and forth with trucks," he added. Store shelves are empty as people stock up on essential items and buildings are boarded up. Gray was one of three people still at the Waterway Inn late Thursday morning. The other guests had al- ready left for safer areas. Gray was expecting to leave with the hotel staff Thursday afternoon after find- ing a place to store his kayak. The hurricane was expected to i Belleville's Bernie Gray is kayaking to Florida. strike the community before mid- night Thursday but ironically, Thursday's weather was the best the region had experienced in sev- eral days because the "tail end' of Hurricane Edward passed through the area earlier that week. Aside from the weather, Gray said the trip is going well and the people he's met along the way are "really nice."