Katrina Evacuees May Flee Again

SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. – Bobby Kane was forced to abandon his Waveland, Miss., house two weeks ago, but he now faces the decision of whether to evacuate his temporary home here as Tropical Storm Ophelia (search) chugs closer to land.

Kane is one of hundreds of Hurricane Katrina (search) evacuees who sought refuge along the Carolina coast and are watching another major weather system threaten their shelter -- and their peace of mind.

Kane, 65, and his wife, 58-year-old Judith Burke, and seven other relatives have been staying at a home just south of Myrtle Beach for a week, sleeping on air mattresses, with their two dogs and a cat.

"I don't think God would have spared us from Katrina to lose us to Ophelia," Burke said.

However, if the storm looks like it's heading for their temporary home, Kane said, "I tell you what, I'll be out of here. I'm not taking any chances."

Gov. Mark Sanford (search) called for a voluntary evacuation of the area Monday as the winds and rain crept nearer.

Kane had a reservation to return to Waveland on Wednesday but the flight was canceled because of Ophelia.

The family was concerned about the storm Tuesday and were waiting to get cable television installed to keep updated on Ophelia. "We have no idea what's going on," said Kane, who's been trying to monitor the storm by radio.

By Tuesday, 247 Katrina refugees had registered with the local Red Cross chapter, said Angela Nicholas, executive director of the Coastal South Carolina Red Cross (search).

"We checked our shelters. No one who was a previous Katrina evacuee was there," she said.

More than 110 people from the Gulf states are in Wilmington, N.C., said Annie Anthony, Cape Fear Volunteer Center director.

Linnie Morant's arm still carries 14 staples she got after she punched through a window to save herself and four children from Katrina's flooding. Her oldest daughter woke her as the water poured into the family's Mississippi apartment.

After five days in a shelter, they came to Wilmington to rebuild their lives, only to face another threatening storm.

"No, God, not again," Morant told the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer on Monday. "My daughter said, 'Mommy, is more water going to come?"'

Still, Morant said she saw an encouraging sign that her kids will recover from the terror of Katrina. When they got to a hotel, she said, they still wanted to go swimming.

Kane and Burke, who had to evacuate their home by boat and sought shelter in a nearby paint store, are most concerned about their two grandsons.

The couple's 7-year-old grandson started school locally but had the day off Tuesday because of the voluntary evacuation.

Kane told the boy Ophelia may bring some strong winds but he assured the child that he would not see any more water. "We're not going on the roof again," he said.