Author |
Message |
Jeff Miller Fleet Admiral
Joined: 22 Nov 2001 Posts: 23947 Location: Mental Ward for the Mentaly Unstable 6th floor, Saint John's 1615 Delaware Longview Washington 98632
|
Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:31 am Florida urges new evacuations as Ivan grows to Category 5 |
|
Quote: |
Sep 9, 9:47 AM EDT
Fla. Urges New Evacuations As Ivan Nears
Damage caused by Hurricane Ivan is seen Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2004, in the village of Dennery on the coast line of Castries, Saint Lucia. (AP Photo/Timothy James ) Advertising
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) -- Tourists and residents were told Thursday to evacuate the Florida Keys because the powerful Hurricane Ivan could hit the island chain by Sunday. It had top sustained winds of 160 mph, making it a Category 5 storm, the most severe category of hurricanes.
National Hurricane Center forecasters predict that Ivan could hit the Florida Keys as a Category 4 hurricane, with winds of 131 to 155 mph, late Sunday or early Monday.
Monroe County emergency officials said the order was effective at 9 a.m. Thursday for island tourists. Mobile home residents were urged to begin evacuating at 6 p.m. Thursday, and other residents were told to leave Friday.
At 8 a.m., Ivan's center was about 455 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, or about 1,000 miles southeast of Miami. It has already been blamed for 15 deaths in Grenada, Barbados and other islands.
It is the third visitor evacuation ordered in the Keys in a month, the previous two coming for Hurricanes Charley and Frances.
The last time everyone on the Keys were told to evacuate was in 2001 for Hurricane Michelle, a Category 4 storm with top sustained winds of 135 mph that wound up missing a direct hit on the chain. Officials estimated that only 15 percent of Keys residents left.
But given the damage other parts of Florida received from Charley and Frances, "I don't think that people will think twice (about evacuating) when we tell them it's a four heading right at us," said Monroe County emergency manager Irene Toner. "I think they will be pretty responsive."
Some businesses have seen a steep drop in the number of tourists since Charley and Frances. Hog's Breath Saloon in downtown Key West has had its worst six weeks of business since 1988, general manager Charlie Bauer said.
"It's been a financial disaster since Charley, but its hard to complain when the rest of the state is without air conditioning," he said.
Bauer said he normally rides out hurricanes in the Keys, but not this time: "I won't even hang around for a Category 3."
� 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
|
|
|
Hitchhiker Rear Admiral
Joined: 11 Aug 2004 Posts: 3514 Location: Ontario, Canada
|
Thu Sep 09, 2004 11:30 am |
|
Great, another hurricane. I'm glad I don't live in Florida.
NASA> ::isn't even going to bother unpacking the equipment that they stowed during Frances' fury::
|
|
|
Delta Quad 2003 Section 31 Guardian
Joined: 29 Jun 2004 Posts: 3164 Location: Earth
|
Thu Sep 09, 2004 3:26 pm |
|
I feel sorry for the people in Florida. Some people there are loseing everything they have.
-------signature-------
Caboose - I can't feel my face.
Church - Shut up caboose!
|
|
|
Jeff Miller Fleet Admiral
Joined: 22 Nov 2001 Posts: 23947 Location: Mental Ward for the Mentaly Unstable 6th floor, Saint John's 1615 Delaware Longview Washington 98632
|
Thu Sep 09, 2004 5:39 pm |
|
Lets hope this is the last bad one of this year hopefully they can start to rebuild soon.
|
|
|
Theresa Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001 Posts: 27256 Location: United States of America
|
Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:28 pm |
|
People keep making cracks about buying land in Florida, that it's incredibly cheap now. Unfortunately, that's true. Poor people.
-------signature-------
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with our scars
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group Star Trek �, in all its various forms, are trademarks & copyrights of Paramount Pictures This site has no official connection with Star Trek or Paramount Pictures
Site content/Site design elements owned by Morphy and is meant to only be an archive/Tribute to STV.com
|