Posted on 09/11/2004 11:50:23 PM PDT by ETERNAL WARMING
Fla. Key Residents Evacuate As Ivan Nears NewsMax Wires Friday, Sept. 10, 2004 KEY WEST, Fla. -- Before Florida could catch a breath from a furious hurricane double-whammy, residents of the Keys were sent scurrying Friday under new evacuation orders as powerful Hurricane Ivan took aim at the state.
In South Florida, long lines reappeared at gas stations while shoppers snapped up hurricane supplies at home building stores and supermarkets in preparation for the possibility of a third strike in a month - this time by Hurricane Ivan, which forecasters said could slam Florida's narrow island chain as early as Monday.
The state has not been hit by three hurricanes in a single season since 1964. Still busied with recovery efforts from hurricanes Frances and Charley, Gov. Jeb Bush said workers would redouble their around-the-clock efforts. "We're not worried about hurricane amnesia anymore," he said. "We're worried about hurricane anxiety."
Laura Grace was leaning toward evacuating as she filled her gas tank and an extra container in Key West, but she wasn't sure she wanted to be anywhere in the state.
"None of Florida's going to be safe. You have to plan on driving 12 hours. But I'll do it to get out of this storm," she said.
The National Hurricane Center said Ivan could hit the Keys as a Category 4 hurricane, with top wind of 131 to 155 mph, as soon as late Monday, though there was still hope that the storm would move out into the Gulf of Mexico.
"The first one was wide left, the second one was wide right, and this one looks like it's coming straight up the middle," said Buzz Wagner, controller at the Crane Point Nature Center in Marathon, which bills itself as the heart of the Keys. "I'm kind of perversely looking forward to it."
Ivan carried maximum sustained winds near 145 mph, down slightly from 160 mph earlier Thursday. The powerful hurricane has already killed at least 23 people in the Caribbean and drew a bead on Jamaica, where officials urged a half million people to evacuate.
At 8 a.m. EDT, Ivan was about 165 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and heading west-northwest at 13 mph.
A steady line of traffic snaked along the northbound Overseas Highway through the Keys, signaling the frightening reality that Florida faces.
"We've all been through this trilogy. It's no fun, but you do what you've got to do," said Jane Fry, who loaded supplies into her car in a Walgreens parking lot, en route to stay with friends in Lakeland.
Tourists and residents of mobile homes were ordered to evacuate Thursday for the third time in a month. Shelters were being set up at Florida International University in Miami. Monroe County's 79,000 residents were to begin leaving on a staggered schedule beginning at 7 a.m. EDT.
The impending storm has led to calls from elected leaders for the public to support the American Red Cross and other charitable organizations. A Red Cross spokesman said the organization's relief effort for Charley was expected to cost about $50 million and work on Frances relief could cost twice that.
While about a million homes and businesses still lacked power in other parts of the state, concern for Ivan led to long lines at service stations in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Many of the area's gas stations temporarily ran out during a similar demand as Frances bore down.
"We are in unprecedented, uncharted water where we are attempting to stage a recovery and prepare at the same time," said emergency operations spokesman Mark Esterly in Palm Beach County.
Bush said supplies in storage tanks were significantly higher than before Frances, and ships are daily bringing more fuel to ports in Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa.
At a Deerfield Beach Home Depot, homeowners pushed pieces of plywood on carts, maneuvering around a full parking lot. Debbie Albeck, 47, of Boca Raton, had pulled in with a singular mission: "Three things: plywood, plywood, plywood."
"I'm prepared for the worst now," Albeck said.
Charley hammered southwest Florida on Aug. 13 with winds of 145 mph, causing an estimated $6.8 billion in damage and 27 deaths. Frances hit the state's eastern coast early Sunday with 105 mph winds, leaving $2 billion to $4 billion in insured damage and at least 16 dead in the state.
After crossing the state, Frances moved into the Gulf of Mexico. It then hit the Florida Panhandle as a strong tropical storm before moving its laden rain bands northward into the eastern United States, where widespread flooding and several deaths have occurred.
We'll no doubt see some reverse migration from Florida back to Appalachia. There, people stand a much better chance of odds playing when it comes to mere tornadoes.
I am amazed how the models continue to predict a strong turn to the north. My gut tells me that it's high time NOAA start considering that the New Orleans area may be its landfall.
I think instead of forbidding people to build on their own property, government needs only to stop taking responsibility for everyone's personal decisions.
"I think instead of forbidding people to build on their own property, government needs only to stop taking responsibility for everyone's personal decisions."
That is the best solution but it also requires the public to GROW UP and be RESPONSIBLE. For years they have depended on the government to bail them out. The government has become Santa Claus.
they can go home now, it won't come anywhere near them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.