"We've had some reservation cancelations," said Al Wiles of Crestline Hotels & Resorts Inc., which h

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - A rich tourism weekend hung in the balance Thursday for Virginia Beach, as officials and emergency planners tried to gauge Hurricane Earl's impact on the city's 12,000 hotel rooms and the dozens of fluorescent-colored shops and restaurants lining Atlantic Avenue.
Whether the public would be in harm's way was still a question mark as Earl made his way up the East Coast. Earl was downgraded to a Category 3 storm Thursday afternoon, but a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning were posted disney cruise line jobs for the coast in advance of the storm's swing through the area early Friday.
Thomas Green, a division chief with the Virginia Beach Department of Emergency disney cruise line jobs Medical Services, said officials were watching Earl's track to see "whether it will be a mad dash or as normal as can be."
Although the storm was expected to pass more than 100 miles off Virginia's coast, Gov. Bob McDonnell said it was still too close for comfort. McDonnell declared a state of emergency earlier in the week, allowing state resources and up to 200 National Guard troops disney cruise line jobs to be sent to the coast to help.
The Navy secured dozens of ships in Norfolk in preparation of Earl's arrival, but said conditions weren't threatening enough to move the vessels offshore. Only essential naval personnel were to report for duty Friday.
Virginia Beach emergency planners met Thursday and decided to go ahead with concerts that included the Village People and Pat Benatar and a big lineup of smaller musical events. Some 22,000 runners were also heading into Virginia's largest city for a half-marathon scheduled for Sunday.
"We're planning business as normal disney cruise line jobs Friday night," said Michael Barakey, a battalion chief and spokesman for the Virginia Beach Fire Department. He said city officials and tourism leaders felt the worst of the storm would be past by the time events began Friday night.
Tourism draws 2.45 million overnight visitors to Virginia disney cruise line jobs Beach annually, generating $815 million in 2009 in food, lodging, gas and souvenirs. The city's population of 430,000 can balloon to nearly a half-million during disney cruise line jobs peak tourism periods, such as July 4th and Memorial Day.
Tourism officials look for guidance from the National Weather Service and other forecasting and news sources as they counsel travelers and plan events. Kuhlman disney cruise line jobs said the Labor Day weekend is a "key element" disney cruise line jobs of the resort city's overall tourism attractions.
"We've had some reservation cancelations," said Al Wiles of Crestline Hotels & Resorts Inc., which has eight hotels on Virginia Beach's oceanfront and a total 17 properties in the Hampton Roads area. "We're telling people to make their own decisions."
Crews were replenishing sand along the oceanfront at 2nd Street and hotel workers were stowing balcony furniture inside, while tent frames were assembled along the beach. Beachgoers were strolling the surf early Thursday and blankets and umbrellas were unfurled and opened by noon.
As 4-foot waves crashed onto the beach, Abigail Hapil, 20, and her parents lay under an umbrella after scaling back on a planned longer trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for an overnight in Virginia Beach.
In Sandbridge, 14 miles north of the North Carolina line, children played in the surf under cloudy skies. Lifeguards walked the beach and rode ATVs, stopping by to warn beachgoers to keep their children close and beware of rip currents.
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