Tim G
Well-Known Member
Hurricane Warnings Issued For Florida Coastline
UPDATED: 3:22 pm EDT September 2, 2004
STUART, Fla. -- Hurricane warnings went up and more than a million coastal residents were told to evacuate Thursday as Florida braced for Hurricane Frances, which could be the mightiest storm to hit the state in a decade.
Forecasters said Frances' dangerous core could still strike anywhere along Florida, either late Friday or early Saturday.
Other evacuation orders were issued for 300,000 people in Palm Beach County and up to 250,000 residents in Broward County, which contains Fort Lauderdale. Those who live in mobile homes and on barrier islands of about half a dozen counties also were ordered to find safer locations. Forecasters said storm surges of 15 feet or more could affect the coast if Frances takes dead aim.
Traffic was starting to back up on Interstate 95, the main north-south highway along the state's east coast. It stretched for at least 5 miles in Brevard County, east of Orlando, but was moving slowly.
The storm and evacuations it forces are certain to spoil Labor Day outings and make a mess of holiday travel across the Southeast. Florida may reverse lanes on some highways to handle the evacuation traffic, state Emergency Management Director Craig Fugate said. Tolls were rescinded on major roads.
State officials hoped to avoid a repeat of the evacuation mess during Hurricane Floyd in 1999, when 1.3 million people were told to evacuate the state's East Coast. Traffic backed up 30 miles or more as people headed inland although only the outer effect's of the storm were felt in Florida.
Many businesses along the Atlantic coast began closing Wednesday, some not planning to reopen until Sunday at the earliest. Even Cape Canaveral's Kennedy Space Center said it planned to shut down, leery of the havoc Frances could bring.
Frances is just as strong as Hurricane Charley, which devastated Florida's southwest coast Aug. 13, but twice the size, said Stephen Baig, a forecaster at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Frances was also about twice the size of 1992's more powerful Hurricane Andrew, which destroyed much of southern Miami-Dade County.
That means that Frances' hurricane-force winds, which extend up to 80 miles from its center, can cause just as much damage over a larger area, Baig said Thursday.
Supermarkets along the state's Atlantic coast were stripped of bottled water and canned goods. Long lines formed outside home supply stores across the state, with dozens of people desperately hoping for a chance to buy scarce plywood or generators. A delivery truck's arrival was met with raucous applause in Palm Beach County.
UPDATED: 3:22 pm EDT September 2, 2004
STUART, Fla. -- Hurricane warnings went up and more than a million coastal residents were told to evacuate Thursday as Florida braced for Hurricane Frances, which could be the mightiest storm to hit the state in a decade.
Forecasters said Frances' dangerous core could still strike anywhere along Florida, either late Friday or early Saturday.
Other evacuation orders were issued for 300,000 people in Palm Beach County and up to 250,000 residents in Broward County, which contains Fort Lauderdale. Those who live in mobile homes and on barrier islands of about half a dozen counties also were ordered to find safer locations. Forecasters said storm surges of 15 feet or more could affect the coast if Frances takes dead aim.
Traffic was starting to back up on Interstate 95, the main north-south highway along the state's east coast. It stretched for at least 5 miles in Brevard County, east of Orlando, but was moving slowly.
The storm and evacuations it forces are certain to spoil Labor Day outings and make a mess of holiday travel across the Southeast. Florida may reverse lanes on some highways to handle the evacuation traffic, state Emergency Management Director Craig Fugate said. Tolls were rescinded on major roads.
State officials hoped to avoid a repeat of the evacuation mess during Hurricane Floyd in 1999, when 1.3 million people were told to evacuate the state's East Coast. Traffic backed up 30 miles or more as people headed inland although only the outer effect's of the storm were felt in Florida.
Many businesses along the Atlantic coast began closing Wednesday, some not planning to reopen until Sunday at the earliest. Even Cape Canaveral's Kennedy Space Center said it planned to shut down, leery of the havoc Frances could bring.
Frances is just as strong as Hurricane Charley, which devastated Florida's southwest coast Aug. 13, but twice the size, said Stephen Baig, a forecaster at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Frances was also about twice the size of 1992's more powerful Hurricane Andrew, which destroyed much of southern Miami-Dade County.
That means that Frances' hurricane-force winds, which extend up to 80 miles from its center, can cause just as much damage over a larger area, Baig said Thursday.
Supermarkets along the state's Atlantic coast were stripped of bottled water and canned goods. Long lines formed outside home supply stores across the state, with dozens of people desperately hoping for a chance to buy scarce plywood or generators. A delivery truck's arrival was met with raucous applause in Palm Beach County.
