Slow-moving Hurricane Ophelia continues to loom off the Carolina shore. Alex Chadwick speaks with Adam Hochberg about whether this new storm could cause the level of destruction seen from Hurricane Katrina.
ALEX CHADWICK, host: This is DAY TO DAY.  I'm Alex Chadwick.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: More than two weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast      region, Hurricane Ophelia is slowly working its way along the southeast      Atlantic coast.  It's a Category 1 hurricane; It's moving at about six      miles an hour. Ophelia's got heavy rains and gusty winds, and it's      expected to last for some time.  Joining us now from Wilmington, North      Carolina, is NPR's Adam Hochberg.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: Adam, welcome.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: I think the first thing we should say is Category 1, that's the least      impressive hurricane.  Still, it's a hurricane.  What does it look like?</s>ADAM HOCHBERG reporting: Well, that's one of the things the officials of North Carolina have been      saying especially since everybody's been watching pictures of Katrina for      so long on television now.  They're saying, `Yes, it's a Category 1.  No,      we do not expect anywhere near the kind of damage that we saw on the Gulf      Coast.' But, folks, this is still a hurricane, and I'm sitting here along      the Cape Fear River in Wilmington and we're seeing quite a bit of wind,      we're seeing a good bit of rain.  The parking lot here at the hotel where      I'm sitting is flooded under with about three inches of rain.  No, that's      not catastrophic flooding, but it is enough water that can make it      difficult to travel on the roads and make it dangerous to get out and      about.  And officials here are hoping people will take this seriously.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: So earlier today, the hurricane was south of where you are now      in Wilmington.  It's expected to move north-northeast along the North      Carolina coast there.  Maybe spend two days just in that region?</s>HOCHBERG: Yes, it's just brushing the coast.  It's not a very good path      for a hurricane as far as North Carolina is concerned because rather than      coming in, making landfall at one location, it's moving slowly right up      the coast.  It's going to affect a large portion of the North Carolina      coast, and as you said, this is going to be with us here for maybe      another 18 to 24 hours.  And that slow speed has folks concerned because      the longer that this hurricane is meandering across North Carolina, the      longer it can drop rain on the state, the greater the possibility of      flooding.  And even some of these winds if they're sustained for 10 or 12      or 15 hours can lead to some damage.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: How are people reacting to this hurricane especially with all      of the pictures all of us are carrying around in our heads about Katrina?</s>HOCHBERG: Well, people in North Carolina are very experienced with      hurricanes.  Rarely does a year go by when there's not at least one here      on the coast.  So people here are doing what they normally do in a      hurricane.  We have seen some preparation right along the beach,      buildings being boarded up, some evacuations of low-lying areas.  As you      get further inland, it's mainly a matter of keeping an eye on the storm,      monitoring it and being prepared if we have a problem with floodwater      down the road.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: NPR's Adam Hochberg reporting from North Carolina, where      Hurricane Ophelia is moving along the coast.</s>ALEX CHADWICK, host: Adam, thank you.</s>HOCHBERG: Thank you.