FRANCES STATS in FLORIDA in a nutshell

[tropicana]

Developments associated with Hurricane Frances



STATEWIDE: President Bush declared a major disaster in counties affected by Hurricane Frances, meaning residents in 18 counties will be eligible for federal aid. Gov. Jeb Bush has declared a state of emergency throughout Florida, activating the National Guard. The state's Emergency Operations Center was open.

EVACUATIONS: At one time, about 2.8 million residents were ordered to evacuate from coastal areas, barrier islands, mobile homes and low-lying areas. About 40 counties initiated either a mandatory or voluntary evacuation.

SHELTERS: About 108,000 people were being housed in shelters in Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Flagler, Glades, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, St. Lucie, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwanee, Taylor, Union and Volusia counties. Out-of-state shelters are also open in Georgia and South Carolina.

DEATHS: James Schwartz, 28, of Lakeland was killed when his 1998 Mitsubishi hit a tree alongside Interstate 75 near Micanopy on Sunday, the Florida Highway Patrol. Investigators were trying to determine the cause of the crash, said Mark Sexton, communications director for Alachua County.

POWER: Florida Power & Light, the state's largest electric company, said power outages to its customers affected more than 5 million people.

NASA: The Kennedy Space Center was closed.

CURFEWS: A number of counties affected by Frances imposed curfews.

BOILED WATER: Boil water orders were issued for Lake Worth, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Lauderhill and the barrier island off Fort Lauderdale between Oakland Park and Sunrise boulevards. A boil water order from Hurricane Charley remains in effect in Arcadia.

MILITARY: At Patrick Air Force base, C-130s and HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters were flown to a base in Georgia. At Naval Station Mayport, officials decided not to move ships out of the area. The Navy evacuated aircraft from Naval Air Station Jacksonville to bases across the United States. U.S. Customs planes based in Jacksonville were also relocated.

PORTS: Port Everglades closed to all vessel traffic, including cargo and cruise ships, but land operations were open. Port of Miami also closed.

CONSTRUCTION: The Florida Department of Transportation has directed all road and bridge contractors statewide to temporarily suspend all operations. Crews were told to secure loose items and open up all lanes to aid traffic.

SPORTS: Monday's Florida State-Miami college football season opener was postponed until Friday at the Orange Bowl. The Florida Marlins-Chicago Cubs three-game series was postponed. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays-Detroit Tigers postponed their game Sunday and planned to make them up during a Sept. 30 doubleheader. The University of Florida's game Saturday against Middle Tennessee was postponed to Oct. 16. Saturday's game between Jackson State and Hampton University was moved to Hampton, Va. The University of Florida men's basketball teams' Labor Day weekend trip to the Bahamas was canceled and the trip will be made up at a later date after this year.

THEME PARKS: Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, Sea World Orlando, Busch Gardens and Adventure Island were closed Sunday. Only two of Walt Disney World's four parks, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and Discovery Cove will open Monday. Busch Gardens was to close Monday.

PARKS: Fifty-six state parks and eight greenways and trails were closed.

AIRPORTS: Melbourne International Airport, Orlando-Sanford International and St. Lucie County International were closed. About 10 other airports in the state remained closed. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Martin County Airport and Miami International Airport were open.

TRAINS: CSX shut down operations in South Florida and was removing all the crossing gates. Tri-Rail commuter trains will not run in South Florida. Amtrak closed stations from Miami north to the Carolinas, affecting service from New York, Virginia and Los Angeles.

HOSPITALS: About 17 hospitals along the east coast were closed Sunday.

BRIDGES: The Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay is closed until further notice. The Stuart Causeway is closed until further notice.

TOLLS: Suspended on the Turnpike from Florida City to Wildwood; on Alligator Alley between Naples and Fort Lauderdale and on 11 other major state roadways in South Florida and the Tampa Bay area.

HOT LINES: Here are some phone numbers for statewide hot lines:

Florida Emergency Information Line: 800-342-3557.

American Red Cross: 1-866-GET-INFO (for information) and 800-GIVE-NOW (for donations).

Attorney General's price gouging hot line: 800-646-0444.

Florida Power and Light: 800-4-OUTAGE.

Elder Services: 800-963-5337.

FEMA Disaster Assistance: 800-621-3362.

State Volunteer and Donations: 1-800-354-3571.

Agricultural and Consumer Services: 800-435-7352.

Department of Insurance: 800-227-8676.



-justin-

[btsgmdad]

The effects on Florida's economy have been devastating.