============================================================ DIGITAL DIGEST � http://www.naplesnews.com � September 4, 2004 ============================================================ Subscribe to the Naples Daily News: http://web.naplesnews.com/circulation/ REFUGEES JOIN LOCALS AS THE WAIT FOR FRANCES CONTINUES Southwest Florida became a home away from home Friday for scores of Hurricane Frances refugees from the east coast, who joined local residents in an anxious wait for the storm�s expected arrival sometime today. Frances slowed and weakened a bit Friday, prolonging the distress for people chased out of their homes and possibly extending the amount of time Florida will feel Frances� wrath as it grinds across the state. EAST COAST EVACUEES SEEK LODGING, WAYS TO KEEP BUSY There�s little sleep involved when bunking at the Hyundai hotel. Deborah and Richard Lucas, a Boca Raton couple, and their 30-year-old son spent Thursday night in the Waffle House parking lot on County Road 951 in Golden Gate. They rolled in around 8:30 p.m. �I thought, �I�m going to find something else that�s open 24 hours,� � said Richard Lucas, 55. GLITZY PALM BEACH DESERTED AS FRANCES THREATENS COAST Even ritzy Worth Avenue had to use plain old wood to board up some shops. It�s a great equalizer. No one is immune to the threat of an upper category hurricane. That�s one lesson all of Florida learned from Charley. One couple strolled along the famous street � known for catering in winter to society hostesses and power-broker business folk � intrigued by its solitude. MANY EAST COAST REFUGEES SEEK SHELTER IN LEE COUNTY As a foreboding Hurricane Frances threatened to swallow Florida�s peninsula, countless refugees sought shelter Friday in one of the few communities that stood to take a relatively light blow: Lee County. Frances� winds had decelerated to 115 mph Thursday night. But National Weather Service meteorologists said the Category 3 storm could strengthen again into a Category 4 after it trudges through the Bahamas and over the warm Gulf Stream. EVACUEES FROM EAST COAST FLOOD INTO LOCAL SHELTERS East coast residents began flooding Southwest Florida hurricane shelters Friday, many of them turned away from booked hotels. By late Friday afternoon, some 1,000 people were holed up inside 11 Collier County schools converted into hurricane shelters. The majority mirrored the situation of Ralph and Lynn Etenberg, an elderly couple who made a late-night crossing from Miami. EMERGENCY SERVICE AGENCIES BRACE FOR HUGE INFLUX OF PEOPLE With the area packed with holiday weekend travelers and residents from Florida�s east coast who fled Hurricane Frances, law enforcement officers anticipate not all of them will be angels while they�re here. The population, at least for the weekend, of Collier County will swell by thousands, if not tens of thousands. And with every hotel room scarfed up and evacuees driving around trying to find a place to stay, emergency service agencies have had to react. RESIDENTS, EVACUEES FLOCK TO BEACH TO AVOID THOUGHTS OF FRANCES The Naples beach catered to many east coast residents Friday for a day of relaxation in the sun. Hundreds of people were at Naples Beach, skimboarding, swimming and just plain working on their tan. Among those enjoying the beach to escape Hurricane Frances were Irma Quintero, Xavier Solares and their son, Bryan Nu�ez, 11.
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