Florida Calls for Hurricane Evacuations

[RedEarth]

MIAMI - Hundreds of thousands of people were told Wednesday to get ready to evacuate as powerful Hurricane Frances crept closer to Florida just weeks after Hurricane Charley's rampage. It would be the worst double hurricane strike on one state in at least a century.

Generators were hefted off store shelves, along with water, canned goods and other emergency supplies as forecasters warned the core of the Category 4 storm with 140-mph top sustained winds was due along Florida's Atlantic coast late Friday or early Saturday. Charley left billions of dollars in damage and 27 people dead when it swept across the peninsula Aug. 13.


"I can't emphasize enough how powerful this is. If there's something out there that's going to weaken it, we haven't seen it," National Hurricane Center (news - web sites) director Max Mayfield said.


About 300,000 residents in coastal areas of Palm Beach County were told to evacuate starting 2 p.m. Thursday.


In Rockledge, about 45 miles southeast of Orlando, Brevard County told at least 50,000 residents to start evacuating mobile homes and barrier islands Thursday afternoon. In Stuart about 85 miles south, Martin County planned to urge up to 7,500 residents to evacuate low-lying areas starting at noon Thursday. More evacuation orders along Florida's east coast were possible.





http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/graphics/AT06/refresh/AL0604W+GIF/011503W.gif




http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=1&u=/ap/20040901/ap_on_re_us/hurricane_frances_florida

[soothsayer]

1. jeez, that's a monster. Let's hope she turns north really quickly and

misses landfall altogether.

[RedEarth]

2. Well, here is a Tropical Storm Historical Tracking Map

[soothsayer]

4. Hey! There's a chance....!

Neat map.

[Red State Rebel]

5. Doesn't show the worst one - Galvenston

Upwards of 8,000 killed some say as high as 11,000. The single worst natural disaster in the United States.

[Red State Rebel]

3. Wow! I'm glad we saw Nassau when we did...

It doesn't look like it's going to be the same after this!

[Corgigal]

6. good

I was hoping FLA would be doing this today instead of tomorrow.
I would offer my house to some DU'ers in Florida but I live in SC only 25 miles from the water so I'm not sure if I'm out of the woods yet.

Take the family and the fluffy pets and get out of there. I wish everyone luck and give yourself plenty of traveling time.

I done it twice myself and it sucks but it was the only smart thing to do.

[Catfight]

7. That's a Red State area, I'll send them a box of ketchup.

[MsFlorida]

8. I live on the beach

about 50 yds from the ocean. People are very worried about this, including myself. Problem is they do not know where it is going to land. The system is bigger than the state of florida. I will be going inland as soon as I get out of the office today.