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Frances Hits Fla. Coast With 90 Mph Winds

Posted on: Saturday, 4 September 2004, 06:00 CDT

MELBOURNE, Fla. - The outer bands of Hurricane Frances whipped Florida's Atlantic coast with 90 mph wind Saturday as the storm crawled toward the state, bringing a potential for more than a foot of rain, tornadoes and heavy flooding as tens of thousands fled the area.

Forecasters expected the storm to come ashore late Saturday or early Sunday, about a day later than initial predictions, as residents prepared for the worst by stocking up on canned goods and water, nailing plywood sheets over windows and finding shelter.

"I turned on the TV and when I saw the storm was still 130 miles away, I said, 'Now's the time to get out,'" Dana Goegelman said after leaving the barrier island community of Indialantic early Saturday. "I was so happy to get on the other side of that bridge I could have kissed the ground."

The few drivers out on roads Saturday dodged palm fronds and tree branches that littered roads. Wind gusts in Jupiter surpassed hurricane force at 91 mph, tossing boats around like toys in the water and making it a struggle for people to stand up.

The roof and a door were blown off a hangar at Palm Beach International Airport. The crew of a yacht struggled to control the vessel in pitching waves at West Palm Beach as its pilot tried to maneuver the craft to a mooring, and a sailboat drifted out of control toward a nearby bridge.

In Brevard County, two men were charged with looting for allegedly trying to break into a church.

About 2.8 million residents were told to clear out - the biggest evacuation in Florida history - but it was unknown how many did. At 8 a.m., Frances was about 110 miles east of West Palm Beach, chugging along to the northwest at about 6 mph.

Passing through the Bahamas, Frances' top sustained wind speed fell to 105 mph early Saturday, down from 145 mph on Thursday, but its plodding pace meant it could cause disastrous flooding. Hurricane force wind extended outward up to 105 miles - twice as big as devastating Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

"This is going to be a tough ride for us," Gov. Jeb Bush said.

State meteorologist Ben Nelson said Frances might remain over Florida for two cycles of high tide, meaning two rounds of storm surges expected to be 4 to 6 feet.

Frances was expected to come ashore along the middle of Florida's eastern coast, push across the state as a tropical storm just north of Tampa and weaken to a tropical depression as it moves over the Panhandle on Monday.

Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown warned that unlike Hurricane Charley, which slammed into Florida's coast three weeks ago, Frances "has an awful lot of moisture with it" that could cause dangerous floods.

"It is a massive storm," Brown said Saturday.

A hurricane warning was in effect along the coast from Flagler Beach south to Florida City almost to the state's tip, and Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency for the entire state.

Wind gusts toppled trees, knocked out power to about 40,000 Florida Power & Light customers and peeled half the roof off Michelle Lyons' mobile home in Davie, just west of Fort Lauderdale.

"And we didn't even get the hurricane yet," said Lyons, 30.

The storm forced the evacuation of about 3,000 state inmates and about 500 patients at more than a dozen hospitals. Pumps were dry at many gas stations as people rushed to fill up their tanks before the storm hit, but Bush said state officials were working to resupply stations along Florida's Turnpike.

Frances could cross areas such as Orlando that were also hit by Charley, which killed 27 people and caused billions of dollars in damage in southwestern Florida.

"I've ordered teams to be in position to help the good people of that state," President Bush said at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. "But the best thing we can do here is to offer our prayers."

Shelters received a steady influx of residents expecting to spend an unusual Labor Day weekend indoors. As of early Saturday, about 55,000 people were in shelters, and others went to hotels or friends' homes. At a Red Cross shelter in Davie, elderly residents quietly huddled over a game of cards while several people played a pick-up basketball game.

"It's very organized," said Lucy Campos, who left a mobile home with a neighbor. "But I can't wait to take a shower."

Many government offices closed, as did major amusement parks, the Kennedy Space Center and airports serving Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Melbourne.

FEMA mobilized 4,500 workers, three times the number sent to help victims of Charley. Officials said they had enough people and supplies in the state to handle two disaster relief operations at once.

Gov. Bush said officials were ready to deliver 1 million meals a day along with 600 trucks of water and more than 200 trucks of ice. FEMA activated four urban search and rescue teams, while 13,000 electrical workers awaited in Alabama to enter Florida and restore power. To help new mothers, baby formula was being shipped to Jacksonville to be distributed throughout the state.

The Red Cross planned a larger relief operation than the one it conducted after Hurricane Andrew. Back then, the agency spent $81 million.

Hurricane season usually peaks in early September, and the ninth named storm of the season grew stronger Saturday in the far eastern Atlantic. Tropical Storm Ivan was about 1,670 miles east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles with wind of 60 mph.

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On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

Florida Emergency Management: http://www.floridadisaster.org

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