September 2, 2004
By the Associated Press and Ken Kaye, Linda Kleindienst And Robert Nolin
Sun-Sentinel

As Hurricane Frances rumbled toward Florida, Broward County officials ordered the mandatory evacuation of all mobile homes and barrier islands starting at 2 p.m. today and strongly recommended that people who live east of Federal Highway also seek safer shelter.

The order covers about 250,000 residents, and Tony Carper, Broward's director of emergency management, said the county was ready to open additional shelters if the ones already designated become too crowded. Shelters in Broward open at 2 p.m. today.

"We urge residents to take this seriously," Broward Mayor Ilene Lieberman said at a news conference.

Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne also said that emergency officials in all South Florida counties were preparing to coordinate their efforts to respond to the worst-hit areas and that essential gear was being moved to safer areas.

""We're doing what we can right now," Jenne said.

With images of homes destroyed and stories of lives devastated by Charley still fresh in their minds, Florida residents are now bracing for a storm that could prove even mightier.

Hurricane watches were extended Thursday to a 230-mile stretch from Craig Key to Flagler Beach, and nearly a half-million people were ordered to leave their homes by Thursday afternoon. Gov. Jeb Bush, who already has declared a state of emergency for all of Florida, warned more evacuation orders are possible.

Jim Lushine, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami, stressed that South Florida might not know its fate until the storm is six to 12 hours away.

"It's going to get scary-close," he said.

If the storm doesn't turn, it could hit or sideswipe South Florida and do extreme damage, said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami-Dade County.

"We're certainly not letting South Florida off the hook yet," he said, urging residents to prepare for the worst.

If the storm wobbles and Vero Beach becomes ground zero, West Palm Beach would feel wrecking-ball gusts, and fierce winds would reach as far south as Delray Beach. If the storm hits closer to Fort Pierce, Fort Lauderdale would feel the strongest winds, as well.

In addition, Frances could deliver up to 10 inches of rain and pound coastal areas with a storm surge up to 15 feet above normal.

If Frances makes landfall north of South Florida, "it would spare us the really bad, bad part of the storm," said Lushine, adding the tri-county area might see rain from the system's outer bands tonight.

The worst scenario, Lushine said, would be if Frances unexpectedly turned left, directly at South Florida, It could be catastrophic if Frances approaches Miami, then heads north and parallels the coast, because that would have a buzz-saw effect on the region's most populated areas, he said.

"It would be like a weed whacker going up the coast," he said.

In Tallahassee, Bush said, "We don't know where the storm is going to land, but it is powerful and has a broad reach.

"I want to caution all of my fellow Floridians, it's too early to know where this storm will go. As we learned from past storms, hurricanes are not linear in their approach. The best approach now for everyone who lives in the cone of the storm is to take the time to be prepared," he said.

After Hurricane Charley, 4,100 National Guard members were activated to help with the cleanup. Bush said many might be called back.

"People are asking, is the state ready, are the responders ready, ..... are they in shock from getting hit again?" said Craig Fugate, director of the state Division of Emergency Management. "They're not getting rolled over. If Frances comes ashore, we'll be fightin' mad."

Supermarkets along the state's Atlantic coast were stripped of water and canned goods. Home supply stores were filled with people desperate for more plywood, batteries, flashlights and generators. Reservation clerks of sold-out hotels groaned with each telephone ring, knowing someone seeking a room was on the other end. And demand for gas was so great some stations were pumped dry.

``We can't control the kind of damage that Frances is going to cause, but if people are smart, lives can be saved,'' said Max Mayfield, the director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

In Palm Beach County, 300,000 residents of homes on barrier islands or low-lying areas were ordered to seek safer shelter elsewhere. Residents of mobile home parks along the entire Atlantic coast were advised to leave quickly, with forecasters saying a ``significant wind event'' was on its way.

And residents everywhere from Jacksonville to Miami were urged to closely monitor Frances, which forecasters said could make landfall anywhere from South Florida to South Carolina.

``It's going to hit somewhere,'' said Stephanie Graniero, who was having hurricane shutters attached to her store along a deserted commercial strip of Delray Beach on Wednesday afternoon. ``You have to try to stay calm and not panic. If it's going to hit, you have to be prepared.''

Taking no chances, schools and government offices are to be closed across South Florida today and Friday. Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency. Palm Beach County ordered 300,000 residents to evacuate beginning at 2 p.m. today, including those who live east of Federal Highway and in mobile home parks. Red Cross will open shelters to accommodate about 43,000 people.

Up to 7,500 residents in Stuart, 30 miles north of West Palm Beach, and 5,000 residents in Brevard County were urged to evacuate low-lying areas starting at noon today. The Kennedy Space Center planned to close today and Friday, and helicopters and planes left Patrick Air Force Base.

Miami Beach began a voluntary evacuation on Wednesday, and Broward County said it might order evacuations today.

Many businesses along the Atlantic coast began closing Wednesday, some not planning to reopen until Sunday at the earliest. Even Cape Canaveral's Kennedy Space Center said it planned to shut down, leery of the havoc Frances could bring.

Forecasters said Frances _ a Category 4 storm _ could begin affecting Florida late Thursday, less than three weeks after Charley raked the state's west coast with 145 mph wind, causing billions of dollars in damage and killing 27 people.

Already, Frances is as strong as Charley, and forecasters said it could become a Category 5 with winds of 156 mph or higher by the time it makes landfall, possibly Friday night or Saturday morning.

``Category 4, Category 5, what's the difference? I'm still out of here,'' said Michele Byrd, 38, a food service executive from Vero Beach. ``This one will probably be bigger than Charley. I don't see any way we're not getting hit.''

With the storm so close, government agencies and cities across South Florida were bracing for a potential disaster.

Palm Beach County declared a state of emergency on Wednesday and put its emergency operations center into high gear.

Broward County commissioners declared their own state of emergency and opened a 24-hour public information hotline at 954-831-4000. Shelters were being prepared, and special bus service will be available to take residents of those areas to safety.

"We don't want anyone to panic, but they do need to prepare," County Mayor Ilene Lieberman said.

Florida Power & Light activated its storm emergency plan to deal with anticipated outages, while the South Florida Water Management District prepared to lower canal levels.

One major concern is a potential for Lake Okeechobee to surge to 21 feet above sea level from its current elevation of 13.5 feet, Howard said.

The last time two major storms hit Florida so close together was 1950, when Hurricane Easy hit the Tampa area and Hurricane King struck Miami about six weeks later. Neither of those storms were as powerful as Charley or Frances.

Besides the evacuation order for some Palm Beach County residents, people who live in mobile homes and flood-prone areas of Volusia, Brevard, Martin and Indian River counties were also ordered to find safer locations. Forecasters said storm surges of 15 feet or more could affect those areas if Frances takes dead aim.

``If it hits, I'm going to Miami,'' said Rick Abraham, a Stuart man whose two-story wooden home sits near the St. Lucie Inlet. ``I've been here 30 years. I've seen some stuff. But I'll tell you what, there's a lot of people living around here who have never seen something like this before. They're not aware. They need to get ready.''

At 5 a.m. EDT Thursday, Frances was about 520 miles east-southeast of West Palm Beach, heading west-northwest near 13 mph. Hurricane-force winds extended up to about 80 miles from Frances' center, making it about twice the width of Charley and increasing the possibility for damage, forecasters said.

``I'm not overly concerned,'' said Marci Nanna, a language arts teacher at Lake Worth Middle School _ which, like hundreds of other schools, will close early Thursday and won't open at all Friday. ``I hope I'm not underestimating it.''

The storm and evacuations it forces are certain to spoil Labor Day outings and make a mess of holiday travel across the Southeast. Florida may reverse lanes on some highways to handle the evacuation traffic, state Emergency Management Director Craig Fugate said.

State officials worried about finding enough room in shelters. Many hotel rooms in southern Florida are occupied by emergency workers and people left homeless by Charley. Some schools and community centers are still being used as shelters.

Charley destroyed or heavily damaged more than 30,000 homes and caused an estimated $7.4 billion in insured damage. It was the worst natural disaster to hit Florida since 1992's Hurricane Andrew caused $15.5 billion in insured damage and killed 15 people.

Staff Writers Scott Wyman, Neil Santaniello, Noaki Schwartz, Susannah Bryan, Joe Kollin, Georgia East, Edgar Sandoval, Akilah Johnson, Beth Krane, Joshua Hafenbrack, Angel Streeter, Lori Sykes, Toni Marshall, Joseph Mann and Kevin Smith contributed to this report, which was supplemented with information from South Florida Sun-Sentinel wire services.

Staff Writer Ken Kaye can be reached at kkaye@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7911.  

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