Where Will Katrina End Up..... - Democratic Underground

jus_the_facts

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Thu Aug-25-05 10:20 PM
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Poll question: Where Will Katrina End Up.....

Edited on Thu Aug-25-05 10:23 PM by jus_the_facts

Hurricane Katrina killed two men in Broward County, dumped torrents

BY MARTIN MERZER, WANDA J. DeMARZO AND JENNIFER LEBOVICH

Hurricane Katrina killed two men in Broward County, dumped torrents of rain on Miami-Dade County and shut off power to thousands in three counties.

That was only the first half of the storm. More is on the way today, and Hurricane Katrina already has earned the tragic distinction of a killer storm.

South Florida's luck ran out Thursday night as the center of Hurricane Katrina reached the coast between Hallandale Beach and North Miami Beach with 80-mph winds, then dipped south and paid homage to the National Hurricane Center, passing right over forecasters in west Miami-Dade County.

At least two men were killed in Broward by falling trees, police said, demonstrating the dangers of even a minimal hurricane such as Katrina.

A 54-year-old man was struck outside his home on Peters Road in Plantation and another man died when a large tree fell on a vehicle carrying three people on Southwest Fifth Place in Fort Lauderdale.

Neither victim was immediately identified. No deaths or injuries were reported in Miami-Dade, whacked overnight by particularly strong squalls and heavy rain. Initial damage reports included some torn roofs and many trees and signs down. WSVN-Fox 7 was knocked off the air around 8 p.m., but soon restored service.

More than 412,000 customers lost power in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, according to a spokesman for Florida Power & Light. With the weather sidelining most repair crews, nearly all of those customers spent a sweltering night in the dark.

Katrina was the sixth hurricane to assault Florida in a little more than a year but the first of the barrage to launch a direct strike at South Florida -- its wind and rain blanketing Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Particularly heavy rain fell in Country Walk, Kendall, Coral Gables, Key Biscayne, Miami Shores and elsewhere in Miami-Dade, far from the storm's center.

''Eventually it was going to hit in Fort Lauderdale,'' said Michael Conenna, 27, owner of Las Olas Riverfront Pizza, which closed early. ``They're always so close, but we have been lucky in the last years.''

With Katrina striking the coast as a low-powered Category 1 hurricane, damage seemed relatively minor. Road signs and power lines down; palm fronds and tree limbs broken; sand washed up on coastal roads.

It wasn't over yet, however.

Forecasters warned that the slow-moving storm kept much of its rain and some of its wind in reserve, and more of both will arrive today, tonight and possibly even Saturday.

Katrina could deliver as much as 20 inches of rain to some areas. Though the area has been fairly dry recently, forecasters warned of local flooding.

Late Thursday, many streets and parking lots in Opa-locka filled with water and city officials distributed sandbags.

Public schools are closed today in Broward, Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys. Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport are out of service. The Port of Miami and Port Everglades remained off limits to cruise ships.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle declared a state of emergency and forecasters urged all South Floridians to stay home today.

''Rain will be as heavy, if not heavier,'' said Jim Lushine, the National Weather Service's severe weather expert for South Florida. ``You don't want to be walking around out there with possible downed power lines and debris. It's not over until it's over.''

As they have so often so recently, representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency prepared to handle requests for federal aid, which could be considerable.

Gov. Jeb Bush and other authorities spoke of substantial danger ahead -- and they urged South Floridians to avoid walking or driving through standing water.

In 1999, seven South Floridians died in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, all because they stepped into or drove their vehicles through standing water.

''For those who have been hurricane watching, there may be some commentary that it's not a Category 4, it's a Category 1,'' Bush said. ``But hurricanes are hurricanes.

``They bring with them very severe flooding and wind damage, so it's important that people take this seriously.''

Said Craig Fugate, the state's emergency operations director: ``We do not want people to let their guard down. That's when we have the greatest number of deaths.''

Still, Thursday wasn't much fun either.

Katrina's bands of rain and gusty wind slashed through a region spared direct hits by last year's historic and deadly quartet of Florida hurricanes and this year's Hurricane Dennis.

The National Weather Service reported wind gusts of 95 mph on Virginia Key, 92 mph at Port Everglades, 82 mph at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, 64 mph in Pembroke Pines, 57 mph in Sweetwater and 53 mph at Miami International Airport.

Along the coast, especially in Broward, seas rose and eight-foot waves crashed ashore in Deerfield Beach.

Power lines snaked across roadways, debris and tree branches carpeted yards, traffic signals swayed precariously over cars passing through intersections and trees toppled on cars and homes.

Fortunately, Katrina's hurricane winds covered an area only about 15 miles wide, forecasters said.

A Category 1 hurricane can damage unanchored mobile homes and some signs and trees and shrubbery. It generally does not inflict damage on buildings.

As the area tucked itself in for the storm, Broward buses stopped running at noon. Throughout the region, many shopping malls and even Publix supermarkets closed early.

By 2 p.m., the majority of outgoing flights at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International were canceled and the airport closed at 7 p.m. Stranded passengers made frantic cellphone calls as they tried to find flights out of Miami or Orlando.

Miami might not have been a swell idea. It remained open, but many flights were canceled.

And Katrina is expected to curve through the Gulf of Mexico and hit the Florida Panhandle late Sunday or early Monday -- a double-barreled strike on the state.

In Punta Gorda, flattened last year by Hurricane Charley, some residents already began preparing. Shutters went up and boats came out of the water, as people who were hit hard just a year ago rushed to prepare for more wind and water.

Ryan Gage installs hurricane shutters on Florida's southwest coast. He had little time to talk, as he topped off the tank of his work truck at a gas station outside Naples.

His employer, Storm Systems Inc., is very busy, he said.

''People are worried about the winds,'' said Gage, who plans to install his own shutters tonight.

''I live on the water and have a lot of trees,'' he said. ``I just don't want a tree going through my window.''

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....the Gulf of Mexico is boiling around 90 degrees along the coast. :scared: