Floridians locking down for Frances....

[dixiebreeze]

This just posted in the news:

Floridians Brace for Hurricane Frances

Meteorologist Robbie Berg studies different computer screens at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2004, which show the movements of Hurricane Frances in the Atlantic and Tropical Storm Gaston along the Northeast U.S. coast. Hurricane Frances strengthened Tuesday in the Atlantic on a projected path that could wreak havoc in Florida by the Labor Day holiday weekend. (AP Photo/J.Pat Carter)


August 31, 2004 02:18 PM EDT


MIAMI - A menacing Hurricane Frances gathering strength out in the Atlantic on Tuesday unnerved Florida residents still picking up the pieces weeks after Hurricane Charley flattened thousands of homes.

The prospect of another powerful hurricane had people stocking up on food, water and batteries and buying plywood and hardware to fortify their homes against a storm that was on a course that could hit the state's Atlantic Coast by the Labor Day weekend.

"I'd like to get through with this one first before we start the next one. If it comes here, I'm going to fly my family to North Dakota or something like that," said C.W. Blosser, 37, a paramedic who spent Charley in a hurricane shelter in rural Arcadia. "I don't know anybody in North Dakota and never heard anything bad happening in North Dakota, so it must be a good place."

Frances was still several days from the U.S. mainland Tuesday, but its winds were almost as strong as those of Charley, which slashed across the state Aug. 13.

"People are shaky about this. You've got to pay attention to these things. These are people killers," said Manny Fernandez, chairman of the University of Florida Board of Trustees and a resident of Sanibel, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico where Charley hit.

State officials worried about finding hotel rooms and shelters for people who may have to be evacuated. Many hotel rooms in the southern half of the state are occupied by people Charley left homeless and emergency workers from other states.

But Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said they were ready.

"We have all the operations, all the resources that we need to respond to a major emergency," FEMA spokesman Justo Hernandez said.

With winds of 145 mph, Charley destroyed or heavily damaged more than 30,000 homes. It caused an estimated $7.4 billion in insured damage to homes, businesses and other property. It was the worst natural disaster to hit Florida since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

With Frances about 140 miles north of Puerto Rico, forecasts had it plowing through the Bahamas on Thursday or Friday before approaching the southeastern U.S. coast.

Carmen Cardenas, 64, and her husband bought a tarp, dead-bolt locks, a saw and batteries at a hardware store in suburban Miami.

"After seeing the destruction from Hurricane Andrew and Hurricane Charley, you can't do anything but be prepared. This is no joke. This is not fun and games," she said.