HURRICANE SEASON 2008

[Bianca]

                                  What storm? Keys take Tropical Storm Fay in stride







By BRIAN SKOLOFF,
Associated Press Writer
18 minutes ago
Aug. 18, 2008

KEY WEST, Fla. - Two years since a hurricane last lashed at Florida, many residents were taking a wait-and-see attitude Monday as a strengthening Tropical Storm Fay swept across the Florida Keys and bore down on the Gulf Coast.
 
While tourists caught the last flight out of town and headed out of the storm's path, residents in the carefree Florida Keys were putting up hurricane shutters and checking their generators, but not doing much more.

"We're not worried about it. We've seen this movie before," said 58-year-old Willie Dykes, who lives on a sailboat in Key West and was buying food, water and whiskey.

By midafternoon, heavy rains moving ahead of Fay's core were pelting the low-lying Keys island chain. Sustained winds of about 33 mph bent palm trees, and some gusts hit 51 mph.

The sixth named storm in the Atlantic hurricane season was expected to become a hurricane before curling up the state's western coast and hitting Florida's mainland sometime Tuesday.

"There are bad storms and there are nice ones, and this is a nice one," said Becky Weldon, a 43-year-old guest house manager in Key West. "It cleans out all the trees, it gives people a little work to do and it gets the tourists out of here for a few days."

Officials were worried that complacency could cost lives, repeatedly urging people across the state to take Fay seriously. The message got through to tourists — Monroe County Mayor Mario Di Gennaro estimated 25,000 fled the Keys. Some residents have taken steps since the busy 2004-05 storm years, when eight hurricanes hammered Florida, such as buying generators and strengthening homes, but not everyone is as prepared.

"This is not the type of storm that's going to rip off a lot of roofs or cause the type of damage we normally see in a large hurricane," said Craig Fugate, the state's emergency management chief.

However, Fugate said: "I've seen as many people die when I have a blob-shaped asymmetrical storm that they dismiss as not being very dangerous."

The state took every step to make sure it was ready. National Guard troops were at the ready and more were waiting in reserve, and 20 truckloads of tarps, 200 truckloads of water and 52 truckloads of food had arrived.

One who did heed the call to prepare was Chris Fleeman, a 35-year-old mechanic on Big Pine Key who was busy helping friends and family members seal up their homes.

"I've got a generator and I've got a concrete home that I built myself, so I know it can withstand this," Fleeman said.

Since 2006, Florida has taken several steps to make sure its residents are prepared. More than 400,000 houses were inspected under a program that provides grants to people to strengthen their houses.

Florida law also now requires some 970 gas stations along hurricane evacuation routes statewide to have backup generators so they can keep pumping gas if the power goes out. Many utilities also have installed stronger power poles.

"Every hurricane that we have, we have additional lessons learned and experience," said U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.

As it moved though the Carribean, Fay was blamed for at least 14 deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, including two babies who were found in a river after a bus crash.

The storm center passed over the Key West around 5 p.m. on Monday, and a hurricane warning was in effect along southwestern Florida from Flamingo to just south of the Tampa Bay area. A tropical storm warning in effect in the east from Flagler Beach southward.

At 5 p.m. EDT, Fay was about 145 miles of Fort Myers and moving north-northwest at about 12 mph. Sustained winds were about 60 mph with some higher gusts.

National Hurricane Center officials said the storm would likely make landfall sometime Tuesday morning. Forecasters said Fay would probably be at or near hurricane strength, which is winds of at least 74 mph.

No damage or injuries were immediately reported in the Keys, where a few bars and restaurants stubbornly remained open. Authorities said a possible tornado knocked down a tree on Big Coppitt Key and there were scattered power outages as well as local street flooding.

Between 4 and 10 inches of rain is possible across mainland Florida, so flooding is a threat even far from where the center comes ashore, said Stacy Stewart, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center.

"This is a broad, really diffuse storm. All the Florida Keys and all the Florida peninsula are going to feel the effects of this storm, no matter where the center makes landfall," he said. "We don't want people to downplay this."

Farther north, residents were not so sanguine. In Punta Gorda — a Gulf Coast community hit hard by Hurricane Charley in 2004 — the sounds of drills were in the air as business owners attached aluminum storm shutters to windows and doors Monday afternoon.

The very idea of an August storm frightens residents there, especially those who rode out the compact but powerful Category 4 hurricane four years ago.

"I am scared," said Monica Palanza, a Punta Gorda real estate agent who remembers seeing trees topple on her neighbors' homes in 2004. "You can never be prepared enough."

_____

Associated Press Writers Kelli Kennedy and Travis Reed in the Keys, Christine Armario in Tampa, Tamara Lush in Punta Gorda, Matt Sedensky in Naples, Lisa Orkin Emmanuel in Miami, Bill Kaczor and Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee and Sarah Larimer in Orlando contributed to this story.

[Bianca]

                                       Storm moves toward second Florida strike





By Michael Haskins
35 minutes ago
Aug. 19, 2008
 
KEY WEST, Florida (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Fay hit the Florida Keys with heavy rain and winds that knocked down trees and signs before churning toward southwest Florida on Monday after killing more than 50 people in the Caribbean.
 
The sixth storm of the 2008 Atlantic season did not reach hurricane strength before rolling across the vulnerable, low-lying Florida island chain with 60 mile per hour (97 km per hour) winds.

Authorities reported some flooding and minor damage and said they expected to invite tourists back on Wednesday.

But forecasters said there was a chance Fay would be at or near hurricane force -- top sustained winds of 74 mph (119 kph) -- when it strikes the west coast of Florida early on Tuesday, somewhere near the beach resort area of Naples, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Although its path was far from U.S. oil and gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, some energy companies pulled workers from offshore platforms. Orange juice futures prices shot up on fears Fay could hit Florida's main citrus growing areas.

In Key West, the tourist-dependent party town and southernmost city in Florida where Ernest Hemingway wrote many of his novels, the mood was typically nonchalant.

Jim Garland's neighbors brought their drinks to the deck of his 35-foot (11-meter) trawler, Ilene, at Garrison Bight marina to celebrate the passage of the storm.

"I flew in two days ago to prepare the boat," said Garland, of Biloxi, Mississippi, who was on the trawler when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf coast three years ago. "Not much to do on a dock like this but add extra lines and make sure the boat can rise and fall with the tide."

The popular Hog's Breath Saloon was one bar that closed down due to the poor weather. But many restaurants remained open even as the wind began to pick up and a driving rain started to blow through the streets.

"This isn't a hurricane. If the media wasn't down here hyping this up, this would be a non-event," grumbled Key West Island Books proprietor Marshall Smith.

[Bianca]

MINIMAL DAMAGE



Authorities in the archipelago had ordered visitors to evacuate on Sunday, creating bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highway out of the islands on the state's tip.

Fay knocked down some trees, signs and awnings but did not cause any significant damage and authorities expected to give the all-clear for tourists to return on Wednesday. Several hundred utility customers were without power.

As Keys residents breathed a sigh of relief, shelters began to open on Florida's southern Gulf Coast. Tourists were urged to leave some resort islands and ordered off others, while mobile home dwellers and residents of flood-prone areas were urged to seek shelter as night fell. Overnight curfews were in effect in some areas.

Across Florida at least 22 school districts, a handful of community colleges and one university canceled Tuesday's classes and Gov. Charlie Crist warned residents not to develop "hurricane amnesia."

"Floridians should continue to monitor their local news," Crist said. "They should continue to stay calm and be smart and make sure they exercise common sense."

More than 10.8 million people could feel the storm's effects on its projected path, the U.S. Census Bureau said.

By 11 p.m. EDT on Monday, Fay was about 60 miles

south of Naples, and its top sustained winds were at 60 mph (97 kph), the National Hurricane Center said.

It was moving north at 9 mph (15 kph) and was expected to continue on that path over Florida's southwest coast on Tuesday. The densely populated Miami-Fort Lauderdale area in the southeast of the state was buffeted by bands of heavy rains and gusty winds.

Fay crossed Cuba without apparently causing serious damage.

In Haiti, witnesses said about 50 people died when a bus tried to cross a river swollen by rain. Eight others were killed in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and two died in Jamaica when their car was caught in a flooded crossing.

(Additional reporting by Jeff Franks and Marc Frank in Havana, Michael Christie and Tom Brown in Miami, and Rene Pastor in New York; editing by Alan Elsner)

[Bianca]

                                     Fay hits Florida, but doesn't become hurricane







By MATT SEDENSKY,
Associated Press Writer
2 minutes ago
Aug. 19, 2008
 
NAPLES, Fla. - Tropical Storm Fay moved inland Tuesday after making landfall in southwest Florida, never growing into the hurricane that forecasters had cautioned it could become.
 
Traffic was light in Naples as rain swept roads littered with palm fronds and other minor debris. There was street flooding in spots, some downed trees and minor storm surge damage was reported in Everglades City to the south.

At the 7-Eleven near the beach in Naples, assistant manager Diana Eslick was getting ready for hungry surfers looking for food before they took advantage of Fay's waves.

"So far it's going good. We have power and everything. It's just been windy and rainy," she said.

At 1 p.m. EDT, the center of the Atlantic hurricane season's sixth named storm was near Moore Haven and was moving north-northeast near 8 mph. Maximum sustained winds rose 5 mph to 65 mph, which is unusual because the storm is mostly over land, away from its energy source of warm ocean waters. More fluctuations in intensity are expected as it crosses Florida to the Atlantic.

"We're still here," said Corey Knapp, resident manager of the Ivey House, a bed and breakfast in Everglades City. Water was knee deep on some side roads, but he said the storm was not as bad as he expected.

Forecasts for most of Monday had predicted a slight chance Fay would bring hurricane winds, which start at 74 mph, but that didn't happen.

Flooding remained a concern as Fay heads up the Florida peninsula, with rainfall amounts forecast between 5 and 10 inches. The storm could also push tides 1 to 3 feet above normal and spawn tornadoes.

Farther north, farmers in drought-stricken North and South Carolina were hoping for a drenching from Fay but may have to keep their fingers crossed for a few more days.

National Weather Service meteorologist Doug Outlaw said it was not clear whether the storm would track north to the Carolinas or veer west over Tennessee. A high pressure system was expected to stall it over Florida and Georgia this week.

In South Florida, most businesses opted to go without any shutters or other window protection. Of those that did, some plywood carried messages aimed at major storms from the past — "Pop Off Charley" and "Oh Wilma!" among them.

With no major Florida hurricanes in the past two years, officials were worried complacency could cost lives as they repeatedly urged people across the state to take Fay seriously. But no storm-related deaths or major injuries have been reported.

Florida Power & Light reported about 58,000 homes and businesses without power in South Florida early Tuesday, the largest number in Collier County, where 28,000 were in the dark.

After crossing the Florida Keys without causing major damage Monday, Fay lumbered ashore about 5 a.m. Tuesday at Cape Romano, just south of Naples, with sustained winds of about 60 mph. Cape Romano is the same spot where Hurricane Wilma, a Category 3 storm, made landfall in October 2005.

In the Tampa Bay area, Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties lifted evacuation orders affecting mobile home residents and others in vulnerable areas when the storm failed to reach hurricane status. But schools and government offices remained closed.

"I think we're going to all enjoy a nice summer day," said Sally Bishop, Pinellas County's emergency management director.

Southwest Florida International Airport near Fort Myers operated normally Monday, but airlines postponed about 140 flights Tuesday until evening hours, spokeswoman Victoria Moreland said.

Warnings to people to take precautions were issued as Fay spread rain and sent wind gusts of up to 51 mph over the Keys on Monday.

Monroe County Mayor Mario Di Gennaro estimated 25,000 fled the Keys before Fay hit there Monday afternoon.

The state took every step to make sure it was prepared. National Guard troops were at the ready and more were waiting in reserve, and 20 truckloads of tarps, 200 truckloads of water and 52 truckloads of food were available for distribution.

As it moved though the Caribbean, Fay was blamed for at least 14 deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, including two babies who were found in a river after a bus crash.

___

Associated Press Writers Brian Skoloff, Kelli Kennedy and Travis Reed in the Keys, Christine Armario in Tampa, Tamara Lush in Punta Gorda, Lisa Orkin Emmanuel in Miami, Bill Kaczor and Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee and Sarah Larimer in Orlando contributed to this story.

[Bianca]

                                  'Boomerang' Fay gains strength over Florida






By MATT SEDENSKY,
Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 14 minutes ago
Aug. 20, 2008
 
NAPLES, Fla. - Tropical Storm Fay rolled ashore in southwestern Florida on Tuesday without much fanfare, but stubbornly hung around like an unwelcome houseguest, maintaining strength and threatening — once again — to become a hurricane.
 
The storm first hit the Florida Keys, veered out to sea and then traversed east across the state on a path that would curve it toward to the Florida-Georgia border. The failure of Fay to weaken meant a whole new swath of the state had to prepare for a worse storm, and meant Florida could wind up getting hit three separate times.

"This storm is going to be with us for a while. That's obvious now. It looks it could be a boomerang storm," Gov. Charlie Crist said at a news conference.

Earlier in the day, it had appeared that Fay would simply peter out and perhaps bring nothing but heavy rains to the southeastern United States. But by late Tuesday, a hurricane watch was posted for parts of north Florida and Georgia as Fay seemed to be resurrected by the flat, swampy Everglades, increasing the chances it could still end up strengthening into a hurricane. Its top sustained winds increased for several hours during the day and peaked at 65 mph, before dropping to 50 mph late Tuesday. A hurricane has winds of at least 74 mph.

Forecasters expected the storm to get a dose of energy Wednesday when it moves over the Atlantic Ocean, where it could reach hurricane strength.

At 11 p.m. EDT, the center of the storm was about 30 miles south-southwest of Melbourne and forecasters expected it to head north-northeast at about 5 mph overnight.

Eric Blake, a specialist at the National Hurricane Center, urged people not to focus too much on whether Fay was a tropical storm or a hurricane, because either one can cause damage. Fay had fallen short of predictions that it could be a Category 1 hurricane when it came ashore in southwest Florida Tuesday morning.

"A strong tropical storm can be very significant," he said, pointing to wind damage in the state's interior and the possibility of flooding from up to 15 inches expected in parts of central Florida.

Fay formed over the weekend in the Atlantic and was blamed for 14 deaths in the Carribean before hitting Florida.

Though it flooded streets in Naples, downed trees and plunged some 95,000 homes and businesses in the dark, most Floridians thought they had dodged a bullet. The worst of the storm's wrath appeared to be 51 homes hit by a tornado in Brevard County, southeast of Orlando. Nine of the homes were totaled, said Brevard County Emergency Operations Center spokesman David Waters.

Brevard County sheriff's deputies arrested three men for looting in the mobile home park, and a trapper was called to remove an alligator discovered wandering there.

Two injuries were reported in the Brevard County tornado, and a kitesurfer who was caught in a gust of wind Monday was critically injured when he slammed into a building in front of the beach near Fort Lauderdale. Kevin Kearney, 28, was still in critical condition Tuesday, Broward General Medical Center officials and his family said.

The storm's surprising path came after Florida officials pulled off all the stops to get ready, prompting some grousing among state residents that they had overrreacted to what was expected to be a minor storm. Crist declared a state of emergency two days before the storm even arrived, schools closed well in advance of the rain and 25,000 tourists in the Florida Keys were told to pack up their beach blankets and go home.

State officials defended the preparations Tuesday, and National Guard troops and storm supplies remained in reserve if needed.

"I don't know how that can be considered alarmist when we're just really trying to tell people 'This is Florida, you got a system out there, you've got to respect it, you've got to get ready,'" said Craig Fugate, the state's emergency management director.

In South Florida, the worst problem was street flooding. Most businesses there even opted to go without any shutters or other window protection. Of those that did, some plywood carried messages aimed at major storms from the past — "Pop Off Charley" and "Oh Wilma!" among them.

Farther north, farmers in drought-stricken North and South Carolina were hoping for a drenching from Fay but may have to keep their fingers crossed for a few more days. A high pressure system had the potential to stall the storm out over the Florida-Georgia border.

National Weather Service meteorologist Doug Outlaw said it was not clear whether the storm would track north to the Carolinas or veer west over Tennessee.

Flooding remained a concern as Fay heads up the Florida peninsula, with rainfall amounts forecast between 5 and 15 inches. The storm could also push tides 1 to 3 feet above normal and spawn tornadoes. Counties in the storm's path called off school for Wednesday and opened shelters.

___



Associated Press Writer Curt Anderson and Lisa Orkin Emmanuel reported from Miami. Associated Press Writers Brian Skoloff, Kelli Kennedy and Travis Reed reported from the Keys, Christine Armario reported in Tampa, Tamara Lush reported in Punta Gorda, Bill Kaczor and Brendan Farrington reported from Tallahassee and Sarah Larimer contributed from Orlando.

[Bianca]

                                        Tropical Storm Fay floods hundreds of Fla. homes







By RON WORD,
Associated Press Writers
34 minutes ago
Aug. 20, 2008
 
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Hundreds of central Florida homes flooded Wednesday as Tropical Storm Fay drenched the state for a third consecutive day, and forecasters warned the waters could worsen because the storm had stubbornly stalled.
 
The storm could dump 30 inches of rain in some areas of Florida and the National Hurricane Center said up to 22 inches had already fallen near Melbourne, just south of Cape Canaveral on the state's central Atlantic coast.

"In some areas, it's waist-deep," said Erick Gill, a spokesman for St. Lucie County, which is south of Melbourne. "We've had reports of people having 3 to 5 feet of water in their home."

Gill said hundreds of homes had been flooded, though a count was incomplete. Homes also were flooded in Brevard County, said Bob Lay, the county's emergency operations director. Floodwaters also had caused sewage to back up, affecting another 40,000 to 50,000 people in three towns.

The Florida National Guard mobilized about a dozen guardsmen and some high-water vehicles to assist with damage assesment and help evacuate people trapped in homes, said Jon Myatt, spokesman for the Florida Department of Military Affairs.

Forecasters had originally expected Fay to energize over the ocean and possibly become a hurricane. But the storm's center remained just inland early Wednesday and forecasters said it might not go over the water until the afternoon.

Yvonne Martinez, spokeswoman for the city of Palm Bay, said 2 to 3 feet of water rendered many roadways impassable. "From what I've seen, some people won't be able to get out of their houses until the water recedes," she said.

The storm remained near Cape Canaveral at 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday, not having moved much in several hours. Its maximum sustained winds were back up to about 50 mph and it was expected to resume slowly moving north later Wednesday.

Steve Letro, chief meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Jacksonville, said Wednesday parts of northern Florida could get 10 to 15 inches of rain, while southern Georgia could receive 3 to 6 inches.

Bands from Fay, meanwhile, brought intermittent rains to Georgia's 100-mile coastline Wednesday from St. Marys at the Florida state line to Savannah.

Robyn Butler, 45, and her husband fled their 32-foot camper in Vero Beach, Fla., after it flooded. They got a hotel room inland in Sebastian, but planned to leave it Wednesday and return home because storm water was also pooling there. The toilets were backing up, Butler said, and wouldn't flush.

"(My husband is) from Kansas and he gets all bug-eyed when he hears tornadoes," Butler said. "So we decided to evacuate."

A hurricane watch was discontinued for parts of north Florida and Georgia. A tropical storm warning was extended, covering an area from Fort Pierce, Fla., to Altamaha Sound in Georgia. A warning means such conditions are expected within 24 hours, while a watch means such conditions are possible within 36 hours.

The storm hit the Florida Keys on Monday, veered over the Gulf and then traversed east across the state Tuesday on a path that would have taken it over the Atlantic before it curved toward the Florida-Georgia border. It was welcome in rain-starved croplands.

"It's very seldom we're hoping for a hurricane, but we are," said Randy Branch, a farmer in southeast Georgia where lingering drought has left about a third of his cotton and peanut crops bare this summer. "We need some rain pretty bad."

In Duval County, which surrounds Jacksonville, officials prepared shelters, cleared drainage areas that could flood and readied emergency response teams. Public schools canceled Wednesday and Thursday classes, and mobile home residents were encouraged to find sturdier shelter.

In southeast Georgia, Camden County public works crews cleaned storm drains and ditches in preparation for possible flooding. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency also began 24-hour operations Tuesday afternoon to monitor the storm.

Fay formed over the weekend in the Atlantic and was blamed for 20 deaths in the Caribbean before hitting Florida's southwest coast, where it fell short of predictions it could be a Category 1 hurricane when it came ashore.

The storm flooded streets in Naples, downed trees and cut power to some 95,000 homes and businesses in South Florida on Monday. Tornadoes spawned by the storm damaged 51 homes in Brevard County, southeast of Orlando, including nine homes that were totaled.

Two injuries were reported in the Brevard County tornado, and a kitesurfer who was caught in a gust of wind Monday was critically injured when he slammed into a building in front of the beach near Fort Lauderdale. Kevin Kearney, 28, was still in critical condition Tuesday, Broward General Medical Center officials and his family said.

___

Associated Press Writer Russ Bynum reported from Savannah, Ga.; Kelli Kennedy, Matt Sedensky and Travis Reed reported from Miami; Christine Armario reported in Tampa, Tamara Lush reported in Punta Gorda, Bill Kaczor and Brendan Farrington reported from Tallahassee and Sarah Larimer from Orlando.




(This version CORRECTS rainfall totals, prediction.)

[cleasterwood]

a kitesurfer who was caught in a gust of wind Monday was critically injured when he slammed into a building in front of the beach near Fort Lauderdale. Kevin Kearney, 28, was still in critical condition Tuesday, Broward General Medical Center officials and his family said.

Another guy got hit by flying debris, but he is in stable condition.  I've not heard an update about the kite-surfer.

Thankfully, we were damage free.  There were a few times during the night that the rain came in sideways & with each feeder-band that crossed, the wind pelted the house all night, but luckily we didn't lose power during this storm.  My hubby thinks it's going to be a nasty season this year.   Hope he's wrong, but we're not even in the height of season yet and there's another storm out in the Atlantic.  They're lining up already.  Oh well.  That's the price we pay for living in paradise.  At the least we can see them coming so we can be prepared when they hit us.  

Fay is still going strong with 20+ inches of rain.  Lots of flash flooding & tornadoes up north.  I just hope my in-laws are still okay.  They live in Brevard, but called us on Tuesday.   On the up-side (if there is such a thing), the lake gained a much needed foot of water to its super low levels.

Blessings,
Lynn

[Bianca]

So good to hear from you, Lynn!!

Take care, the next update does not sound too good for the panhandle.....

We got pretty lucky, on this side, from  Sarasota County and up.   Not too much rain either.


Love, hugs and Blessings to all of you,

b

[Bianca]

                             Massive floods as Tropical Storm Fay holds still over Florida






Thu Aug 21, 2008
5:43 PM ET

 MIAMI8 (AFP) - Tropical Storm Fay began a second slow slog across mainland Florida Thursday, as President George W. Bush declared an emergency in the waterlogged, wind-battered state.

 
"The president today declared an emergency exists in the state of Florida and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts, due to the emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Fay," spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a statement.

Holding stationary over the northeastern part of Florida for hours, Fay dumped rains of 50 to 75 centimeters (20 to 30 inches) in some parts of the state, and caused widespread flooding.

"This storm is turning into a serious catastrophic flooding event, particularly in southern Brevard County," Crist said on Wednesday as he sought the emergency declaration giving Florida access to US federal disaster assistance funds.

As of 5 pm (2100 GMT), Fay's center was just west of the location where it made landfall two and a half hours earlier, at Flagler Beach, 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Cape Canaveral, where the US space agency NASA has a launch pad.

"Fay is moving toward the west near five miles per hour (seven kilometers per hour.) This general slow motion should continue for the next couple of days," the National Hurricane Center said in its latest bulletin.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of near 95 kilometers (60 miles) an hour with higher gusts, though it was expected to weaken as it moves west toward Florida's Gulf Coast panhandle by early Saturday.

Tropical storm force winds extended outward up to 150 miles (240 kilometers), mainly to the east of the storm's center, the NHC said.

The storm is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of five to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) with isolated amounts of 15 inches (38 centimeters) possible across northern Florida, the center said.

Since it powered up from the Caribbean just short of hurricane strength last weekend, Fay has crisscrossed the southeastern US state, first blasting the tourist-heavy Keys, then plowing up the west coast before making landfall Tuesday and crossing very slowly to the northeast.

The storm has spawned tornadoes, flooded some 50,000 homes and knocked out power to 100,000 people.

Earlier in the Caribbean, Fay left a trail of destruction and at least 40 deaths -- particularly in Haiti, where a truck carrying around 60 passengers plunged into a swollen river during the storm.

[Bianca]

Gators among those fleeing Fay's Florida deluge






By BRIAN SKOLOFF,
Associated Press Writer
Thu Aug 21, 2008
 
MELBOURNE, Fla. - As if a fourth straight day of rain from Tropical Storm Fay wasn't enough, weary residents are now dealing with quintessentially Floridian fallout: alligators, snakes and other critters driven from their swampy lairs into flooded streets, backyards and doorsteps.
 
National Guardsman Steve Johnson was wading through hip-deep water Wednesday night when his flashlight revealed an alligator drifting through a neighborhood of flooded mobile homes.

"I said, 'The heck is that?' and there was an alligator floating by," Johnson said. "I took my flashlight and was like, 'You've got to be kidding me, a big old alligator swimming around here.'"

The erratic and stubborn storm has dumped more than 2 feet of rain along parts of Florida's low-lying central Atlantic coast this week. The system continued its slow, wet march Thursday by curving back from the ocean to hit the state for a third time.

Alligators live in all 67 Florida counties, and state officials say they receive more than 18,000 alligator-related complaints each year. But the floodwaters heighten the risk of an encounter with people because the creatures search for a safe place to wait out the storm.

"They are trying to find dry land, someplace to hide," said officer Lenny Salberg of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.

The threat of alligators, snakes and other creatures is one more problem confronting weary residents as they clean up their waterlogged homes. At least two alligators were captured in residential neighborhoods, and several others were spotted near homes.

In Carla Viotto's backyard in Indialantic, outside of Melbourne, snakes were swimming around in 4 inches of water.

"It looked just like a junk yard," she said.

Flooding was especially acute along the Atlantic coast from Port St. Lucie to Cape Canaveral, with water reaching depths of 5 feet in some neighborhoods. Gov. Charlie Crist visited the area Thursday and President Bush issued a federal disaster declaration for the affected parts of Florida to help with the storm's costs.

Brevard County officials estimated building damage would cost $12 million, mostly from flooding, and $2.6 million in damage from beach erosion.

"This is the worst I've absolutely ever seen it," said Mike White, 57, who was rescued by the National Guard as water crept up to the door of his mobile home.

Fay, which was responsible for at least 20 deaths in the Caribbean and two in Florida, is just the fourth storm in recorded history to hit the Florida peninsula with tropical storm intensity three separate times. The most recent was Hurricane Donna in 1960, according to Daniel Brown, a specialist at the National Hurricane Center.

Police said an Indiana tourist drowned after going swimming in rough waters churned up by the storm at Neptune Beach. To the south in Volusia County, authorities reported a second woman also drowned in Fay-generated waves.

Flooding was also possible in Georgia, where the southern half of the state's Atlantic coastline was under a tropical storm warning. Some parts of Georgia could get up to 6 inches of rain.

In the town of St. Marys, Mary Neff watched the rain from the Spencer House Inn, which she owns with her husband.

"We're pulling in our plants and porch furniture, making sure we have our supplies and gas for the generator," said Neff, who had three couples cancel weekend reservations. "I still think we all need to stay on our toes."

Fay hovered for hours just off the Florida coast Thursday. At 5 p.m. EDT, the storm was located just west of Flagler Beach and was moving west at about 5 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. It still had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph but was forecast to gradually weaken.

A tropical storm watch was posted for the Gulf coast of Florida from the Suwannee River to Indian Pass, in case the storm emerges over water again.

With the rain moving to the north, the sun began to dry out some Florida neighborhoods hit by floods earlier in the week. The mood was considerably brighter for many residents who were finally able to get out of their homes.

"I'm ready to get back to work. This is insane. It'll drive you nuts being stuck like this," said Barry Johnson, 44, of Port St. Lucie.

___

Associated Press writers Ron Word in Jacksonville; Lisa Orkin Emmanuel, Curt Anderson and David Fischer in Miami; Bill Kaczor in from Tallahassee; and Brendan Farrington in St. Augustine contributed to this report.

[Bianca]

                                         Death toll at 5 as Fay pours more rain on Florida






By BRIAN SKOLOFF,
Associated Press Writer
10 minutes ago
Aug. 22, 2008
 
MELBOURNE, Fla. - Tropical Storm Fay hobbled across Florida for a fifth day Friday as the state's death toll rose to five, while residents began plodding through muddy water to assess the flood damage to their homes.
 
Fay has dumped more than two feet of rain along parts of Florida's low-lying central Atlantic coast and was making its third pass through the state in a week. Before Fay crosses the Panhandle over the weekend, it could bring four to eight inches in some areas.

Driving conditions on interstate highways in north Florida were difficult enough in a car, but Jim Frazier and Deb Fairchild were crossing the state on a motorcycle trying to get back to Illinois after a week in Daytona Beach.

"It's pretty brutal," said Frazier, 47, of Danville, Ill., adding the high winds have caused him to swerve several times on the highway.

State officials tallied storm casualties Friday, saying three people died in traffic accidents in the heavy rain and two others drowned in surf kicked up by the storm. Overall, the storm has been blamed for 28 deaths, most in the Caribbean. A man also died in Florida days before the storm while testing generators.

A 16-year-old girl died in Duval County when her car collided with an SUV after spinning on wet pavement Wednesday. A 44-year-old was killed when his truck rolled while going around a curve on a rain-soaked road Thursday, and a 43-year-old woman died Wednesday in Indian River County when his vehicle spun and hit a traffic light post.

Two swimmers drowned in heavy surf Thursday on the Atlantic coast, a 21-year-old woman in Duval and a 35-year-old man in Volusia County.

President Bush issued a federal disaster declaration Thursday for the affected parts of Florida, as hundreds of residents fled floodwaters that drove alligators and snakes out of their habitats and into streets.

At 11 a.m. EDT, the center of the storm was located about 45 miles northeast of Cedar Key with sustained winds weakening slightly to near 45 mph. National Hurricane Center meteorologists say isolated tornadoes are possible over portions of northeastern Florida, southern Georgia and southern South Carolina.

A casino ship broke free early Friday morning then grounded in the St. Johns River east of the Jacksonville Pilot's Station, Coast Guard officials said. A small tug moored nearby pull the vessel free and towed the ship back to its berth.

Emergency officials planned to begin surveying damage along the coast Friday as the floodwaters slowly recede. In Brevard and St. Lucie Counties, residents welcomed the sight of muddy brown water lines on homes — signifying the receding of flood waters.

Friday morning, officials in Melbourne carried boats down streets where just a day earlier 4 feet of water made roads look like rivers. About 150 people in Brevard county were evacuated by authorities; 100 others left their homes voluntarily.

"You had people here who didn't want to leave but after a few days of being stranded, they were saying, 'OK, it's time to go,'" said Hector Rodriguez, who works for the private firm Critical Intervention Services, which was hired by property managers to assist with evacuations.

Water as high as several feet still remained in some parts of this neighborhood, but most of the area had drained, leaving behind a half-inch thick layer of muck and mud. One resident stood in his driveway boiling coffee on a propane grill.

Power outages plagued the area. As of 6:15 a.m. Friday, Jacksonville Electric Authority reported 66,000 customers without power.

The storm first made landfall in the Florida Keys earlier this week, then headed out over open water again before hitting a second time near Naples. It then advanced slowly across the state, popped back out into the Atlantic Ocean and struck again.

A tropical storm warning was posted for the Gulf coast of Florida from Aripeka in Hernando County to Indian Pass, and a tropical storm watch is also in effect from west of Indian Pass to Destin. There also was still a tropical storm warning on the Atlantic Coast from Sebastian Inlet, Fla., north to the Savannah River on the border between Georgia and South Carolina.

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Associated Press writers Ron Word reported from Jacksonville; Lisa Orkin Emmanuel, Curt Anderson, David Fischer and Tamara Lush reported from Miami; Bill Kaczor reported from Tallahassee; Russ Bynum reported from Savannah, Ga.; and Brendan Farrington reported from St. Augustine.

(This version CORRECTS gender of storm victim.)

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                                  Seven Florida deaths blamed on tropical storm Fay






2 hours, 29 minutes ago
Aug. 22, 2008
 
MIAMI (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Fay was blamed on Friday for seven deaths in Florida as forecasters warned that its torrential rains threatened a large swath of the southeastern United States with flooding over the weekend.
 
At 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) the center of the storm, which had threatened to strengthen into a hurricane as it churned across the Caribbean, over the Florida Keys and on to the state's southwest coast, was about 110 miles east of the Panhandle city of Apalachicola, U.S. forecasters said.

The sixth storm of what experts predict will be a busy Atlantic hurricane season, Fay was moving west at 6 miles per hour (9 kph) after making its third Florida landfall on Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The storm, with top sustained winds that had weakened to 45 mph (75 kph), was expected to move over the Florida Panhandle on Saturday and dump heavy rain on northern Florida and southern Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, the Miami-based hurricane center said.

"Regardless of its exact track, Fay will be moving rather slowly during the next several days, posing a significant heavy rainfall and flood hazard to a very large area," it said.

There was a possibility the storm could steer farther south and strengthen over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It could then target an area where offshore rigs produce a large amount of oil and natural gas and also the city of New Orleans, which was swamped by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The storm brought rain of up to 21 inches to areas around Cape Canaveral, home of the U.S. space shuttle fleet.

Emergency crews had to rescue some people from flooded neighborhoods and hundreds of homes were affected, local officials said.

Before taking aim at Florida, the storm killed more than 50 people in the Caribbean, mostly in Haiti where a crowded bus was swept away by a rain-swollen river.

In Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist said the storm had been "devastating, dangerous and deadly." He said seven deaths had been caused by Fay, including those of two women who drowned in heavy surf on Thursday in separate incidents along beaches off the state's Atlantic coast.

The other deaths occurred in traffic accidents and an incident in which a man died of carbon monoxide poisoning while testing two power generators.



(Reporting by Tom Brown in Miami and Michael Peltier in Tallahassee; Editing by Jane Sutton)

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                                           On the 5th day of Fay, cleanup begins in Fla.






By BRENDAN FARRINGTON,

Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 20 minutes ago
Aug. 22, 2008
 
STEINHATCHEE, Fla. — As Tropical Storm Fay finally got on track Friday to make its way out of Florida, flood-stricken homeowners got an encouraging sign: Muddy brown water lines began appearing on the sides of homes, a clue that floodwaters were receding.
 
The fickle storm that stuck around for five days and carved a dizzying path that included three separate landfalls dumped more than two feet of rain in some places. But to the relief of Floridians, it was finally expected to veer west over the Panhandle before leaving for good later this weekend.

Officials in Melbourne, one of the hardest-hit areas on the central Atlantic coast, carried boats down streets where just a day earlier 4 feet of water made roads look like rivers. Water several feet high remained in some neighborhoods, but most of the area had drained, leaving behind a half-inch layer of muck and mud.

"This is a welcome sight," said Ron Salvatore, 69, who stood in his driveway Friday morning boiling coffee on a propane grill and surveyed a dry street. Salvatore and his wife Terry, 59, had been stuck in the house since Tuesday because water surrounded their home.

The storm's death toll rose to six in Florida and nearly 30 overall since Fay first struck in the Caribbean. Florida officials said four people died in traffic accidents in the heavy rain and two others drowned in surf kicked up by the storm. Before the storm ever blew through the state, a man testing generators as a precaution also was killed.

Tens of thousands of people from Melbourne to Jacksonville to Gainesville were still without electricity, and residents of Florida's storm-stricken Atlantic coast faced a weekend of cleanup after chest-high flooding. Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said so far nearly 4,000 flood claims from Fay had been filed.

"The damage from Fay is a reminder that a tropical storm does not have to reach a hurricane level to be dangerous and cause significant damage," said Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who toured flooded communities this week.

On Friday, Crist asked the White House to elevate the disaster declaration President Bush issued Thursday to a major disaster declaration. Crist said the storm damaged 1,572 homes in Brevard County alone, dropping 25 inches of rain in Melbourne.

Counties in the Panhandle — including Bay, Escambia and Walton — opened their emergency operations centers in preparation for the storm's expected arrival there. At 5 p.m. Friday, Fay was 50 miles north of Cedar Key and moving west near 6 miles per hour, with sustained winds at 45 mph.

In Steinhatchee, on the northern Gulf Coast just south of Florida's Big Bend, there was no wind and little rain as the center of the storm neared the town Friday afternoon. But Dana Watson, a bartender at Crabbie Dads, said she was expecting it to get much worse. "It's moving real slow. We're waiting. We're just waiting."

In an area that can flood badly when high tide rolls in during a bad storm, she said most people remain prepared. "We've all got our generators filled up with gas and oil and our nonperishable food," Watson said. "Everyone in this town has made their preparations."

A tropical storm warning is in effect for Florida's Gulf Coast, from Aripeka in Hernando County to Destin, though a warning from Flagler Beach on the Atlantic Coast north was canceled. A tropical storm watch is still in effect from west of Destin to the Mississippi/Alabama border.

State officials and farmers were concerned that Fay had hurt tomato, peanut and citrus crops. Damage estimates aren't yet available.

Some 400 acres of tomatoes were flooded near Immokalee in the southeastern portion of the state and St. Lucie County on the Atlantic coast suffered around $20 million in losses, mostly to cattle, citrus and nursery operations. There also were reports of grapefruits blown off trees in southeastern Florida and some areas where sugar cane was bent over in high winds.

Two tropical fish farms on the central Atlantic coast were decimated, state officials said. In Georgia, where Fay blasted the coast with heavy rains, the Department of Natural Resources said a considerable number of nests of the threatened loggerhead sea turtle were washed away by the rains.

Fay has been an unusual storm, even by Florida standards. It set sights on the state last Sunday and first made landfall in the Florida Keys on Monday. The storm then headed out over open water again before hitting a second time near Naples on the southwest coast. It limped across the state, popped back out into the Atlantic Ocean and struck again near Flagler Beach on the central coast. It was the first storm in almost 50 years to make three landfalls in the state, as most hit and exit within a day or two.

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Associated Press writers Brent Kallestad and Bill Kaczor reported from Tallahassee; Ron Word from Jacksonville; Brian Skoloff from Melbourne; Melissa Nelson from Pensacola; Russ Bynum from Savannah, Ga.; and David Fischer and Tamara Lush from Miami.

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                                      Fay kills 10 in Fla., makes record 4th landfall





By BILL KACZOR,

Associated Press Writer
6 minutes ago
Aug. 23, 2008
 
APALACHICOLA, Fla. — Tropical Storm Fay began wrapping up its disastrous slog across Florida on Saturday by making a record fourth landfall on the Panhandle's coast.

Emergency officials said 10 people have been killed in the state alone.
 
Across the Florida peninsula, communities began cleaning up the damage from several inches of rain that flooded homes, destroyed crops and prompted Gov. Charlie Crist to ask for a major disaster declaration from the federal government.

Fay's center made landfall around 1 a.m. EDT about 15 miles north-northeast of Apalachicola, according to the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center.

Fay was expected to finally leave the state on Saturday and reach the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama on Sunday. Though Fay never became a hurricane, downpours along its zigzagging path have been punishing and deadly.

The storm has killed 10 people in the state, Florida Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey said in a briefing from the emergency operations center in Tallahassee.

The identities of all the victims and the causes of their deaths weren't immediately released, but at least three were killed Friday in weather-related traffic accidents and two drowned in heavy surf.

Another man died from carbon monoxide poisoning while testing power generators before the storm hit. At least 23 people were killed last week in Haiti and the Dominican Republic by flooding from Fay.

"The damage from Fay is a reminder that a tropical storm does not have to reach a hurricane level to be dangerous and cause significant damage," said Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who toured flooded communities this week.

Crist on Friday asked the White House to elevate the disaster declaration President Bush issued to a major disaster declaration. Crist said the storm damaged 1,572 homes in Brevard County alone, dropping 25 inches of rain in Melbourne.

At 11 a.m. Saturday, the center of the storm was located about 100 miles east-southeast of Pensacola and was moving west near 7 mph with sustained winds near 45 mph. The storm was expected to keep its strength and remain a tropical storm into Sunday.

Fay's fourth landfall was underwhelming for some in the Apalachicola area.

"It's been peaceful and quiet so far," said Franklin County Emergency Management Director Butch Baker, who lives in Carabelle, where the storm's center came ashore.

"I slept through the whole thing. It wasn't very dramatic when it came onshore."

Baker said his office received reports of sporadic power outages, but roads were clear and they hadn't received any calls for help.

Martha Pearl Ward, 72, and Pam Nobles, 52, were heading for breakfast in downtown Apalachicola on Saturday morning.

"I just think we're so fortunate we didn't have high tide and a stronger wind because (Hurricane) Dennis is still fresh in our mind, the tidal surge we had in here," Ward said.

Fay's wake caused widespread flooding along Florida's east coast, especially in Jacksonville near the storm's third landfall. Some areas of Duval County reported up to 20 inches of rain, and authorities reported an unknown number of homes and businesses flooded. Floodwaters began receding in some of the hardest-hit areas of South Florida.

Fay has been an unusual storm, even by Florida standards.

It first made landfall in the Florida Keys on Monday, then headed out over open water again before hitting a second time near Naples on the southwest coast.

It limped across the state, popped back out into the Atlantic Ocean and struck again near Flagler Beach on the central coast. It was the first storm in almost 50 years to make three landfalls in the state, as most hit and exit within a day or two.

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Associated Press writers Brent Kallestad and Bill Kaczor reported from Tallahassee; Ron Word from Jacksonville; Brian Skoloff from Melbourne; Melissa Nelson from Pensacola; Russ Bynum from Savannah, Ga.; and David Fischer and Tamara Lush from Miami.

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                                     Fay's toll in Fla. hits 11; Gulf cities threatened





1 minute ago
Aug. 23, 2008

Yahoo News
 
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida officials say at least 11 people have died from Tropical Storm Fay's trek across the state.
 
Officials at the state's emergency operations center in Tallahassee say the 11th storm-related fatalilty was an electrical worker in Gadsden County who was responding to a power outage when he was killed.

The identities of all the victims and the causes of their deaths were not immediately released. At least three of the victims died in weather-related traffic accidents and two more drowned in heavy surf.



Gov. Charlie Crist said he was grateful for the electric workers' sacrifice in an emergency.