Florida feels hurricane's
front
BRENDAN FARRINGTON
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MELBOURNE, Fla. � The outer bands of Hurricane Frances whipped Florida's coast with 145 km/h wind early today as the storm crawled across the Atlantic, bringing a potential for more than a foot of rain and heavy flooding as tens of thousands fled the area.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MELBOURNE, Fla. � The outer bands of Hurricane Frances whipped Florida's coast with 145 km/h wind early today as the storm crawled across the Atlantic, bringing a potential for more than a foot of rain and heavy flooding as tens of thousands fled the area.
Forecasters expected the storm to come ashore late today
or early tomorrow, about a day later than earlier predictions, as residents
prepared for the worst after a dragged-out process of stocking up on canned
goods and water, putting plywood sheets over windows and finding shelter.
"I turned on the TV and when I saw the storm was still 200
kilometres away, I said, 'Now's the time to get out,'" Dana Goegelman said after
leaving Indialantic on a barrier island early today. "I was so happy to get on
the other side of that bridge I could have kissed the ground."
The few drivers out on roads early today dodged palm
fronds and tree branches that littered roads along the Atlantic coast. Wind
gusts in Jupiter surpassed hurricane force at 145 km/h, bending fronds and
crashing waves into the beaches. Boats were tossed around like toys in the water
and people struggled to stand up on land.
About 2.8 million residents were told to clear out � the
biggest evacuation in Florida history � but it was unknown how many did. At 8
a.m., Frances was about 170 kilometres east of West Palm Beach, chugging along
to the northwest at about 10 km/h.
Passing through the Bahamas, Frances' top winds fell to
170 km/h today, down from 230 km/h on Thursday, but its plodding pace meant it
could cause disastrous flooding. Hurricane force winds extended outward up to
170 km/h � twice as big as devastating Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
"This is going to be a tough ride for us," Gov. Jeb Bush
said.
State meteorologist Ben Nelson said Frances might remain
over Florida for two cycles of high tide, meaning two rounds of storm surges
expected to be 1.2 to 2 metres.
Frances is expected to come ashore along the middle of
Florida's eastern coast, push across the state as a tropical storm just north of
Tampa and weaken to a tropical depression as it moves over the Panhandle on
Monday.
Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown
warned that unlike Hurricane Charley, which slammed into Florida's coast three
weeks ago, Frances "has an awful lot of moisture with it" that could cause
dangerous floods.
"It is a massive storm," Brown said today.
A hurricane warning remained in effect for Florida's
Atlantic coast, from Flagler Beach south to Florida City almost to the state's
tip, and Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency for the entire state.
Wind gusts toppled trees, knocked out power to about
40,000 Florida Power & Light customers and peeled half the roof off Michelle
Lyons' mobile home in Davie, just west of Fort Lauderdale.
"And we didn't even get the hurricane yet," said Lyons,
30.
The storm forced the evacuation of about 3,000 state
inmates and about 500 patients at more than a dozen hospitals. Pumps were left
dry at many gas stations as people rushed to fill up their tanks before the
storm hit, but Bush said state officials were working to resupply stations along
Florida's Turnpike.
Frances was set to slam into Florida's coast three weeks
after Hurricane Charley killed 27 people and caused billions of dollars in
damage in southwestern Florida. Frances could cross over areas such as Orlando
that were also hit by Charley.
"I've ordered teams to be in position to help the good
people of that state," President Bush said at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
"But the best thing we can do here is to offer our prayers."
Shelters received a steady influx of residents expecting
to spend an unusual Labour Day weekend indoors. As of early today, about 55,000
people were in shelters, and others went to hotels or friends' homes. At a Red
Cross shelter in Davie, elderly residents quietly huddled over a game of cards
while several people played a pick-up basketball game.
"It's very organized," said Lucy Campos, who left a mobile
home with a neighbour. "But I can't wait to take a shower."
Many schools and government offices closed, as did major
amusement parks, the Kennedy Space Center and airports serving Fort Lauderdale,
Miami and Melbourne.
FEMA mobilized 4,500 workers, three times the number sent
to help victims of Charley. Officials said they had enough people and supplies
in the state to handle two disaster relief operations at once.
Gov. Bush said officials were ready to deliver 1 million
meals a day along with 600 trucks of water and more than 200 trucks of ice. FEMA
activated four urban search and rescue teams, while 13,000 electrical workers
awaited in Alabama to enter Florida and restore power. To help new mothers, baby
formula was being shipped to Jacksonville to be distributed throughout the
state.
The American Red Cross planned a larger relief operation
than the one it conducted after Hurricane Andrew. Back then, the agency spent
$81 million.
Hurricane season usually peaks in early September, and the
ninth named storm of the season grew stronger today in the far eastern Atlantic.
Tropical Storm Ivan was about 2,700 kilometres east-southeast of the Lesser
Antilles with winds of 96 km/h.
