Floridians Reach the End of Their Rope as Hurricane Ivan Approaches

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The New York Sun

KEY LARGO, Fla. – Tourists and residents throughout the Florida Keys were sent packing yesterday to avoid the wrath of Hurricane Ivan, even as millions of disaster-stricken residents struggled to pick up the pieces from Hurricanes Frances and Charley.


Forecasters said Ivan could reach the island chain as early as Sunday, making it the third hurricane to strike Florida in a month. The last time three hurricanes hit Florida in single season was 1964.


Ivan reached 160 mph at one point yesterday, and has already killed at least 20 people as it tore through the Caribbean on its steady march toward the Florida coast. The storm was headed straight for Jamaica, where officials urged a half million people to evacuate.


The storm’s menacing advance and the evacuation orders in the Keys signaled the frightening reality that Florida faces as it deals with the prospect of yet another hurricane strike.


“This is getting ridiculous,” said Eleanor Sharkey, who lives with four grandchildren in West Palm Beach and who had her roof torn apart and power knocked out by Frances. “I’m petrified, just petrified. Oh God, I need help. I have no milk. I can’t get proper food. I have nothing nourishing for the children. When will this end?”


While forecasters view the Keys as Ivan’s prime target, the storm could shift to anywhere in Florida and possibly all the way up to South Carolina. Governor Bush said he was not working with a “doomsday scenario” in preparing for Ivan, but added that officials and residents have no choice but to pre pare for a third hurricane.


“People are at wit’s end that have been impacted by this, and the people we’re asking to respond have some challenges of their own,” said Mr. Bush. “Maybe someone creative in Hollywood could come up with something like this, but this is past my imagination.”


Charley struck southwest Florida on August 13 with winds of 145 mph, causing an estimated $6.8 billion in damage and 27 deaths. Frances hit the state’s eastern coast early Sunday with 105 mph winds, leaving $2 billion to $4 billion in insured damage and at least 16 dead in the state. The death toll rose by one yesterday when an electric worker died cleaning up debris.


After crossing the state, Frances moved into the Gulf of Mexico. It then hit northwest Florida as a strong, wet tropical storm before moving into Georgia and northward into eastern America, where widespread flooding has occurred.


Ivan is the most powerful hurricane to hit the Caribbean in a decade. Ninety percent of the homes in Grenada were damaged, looting erupted, and a prison was destroyed, leaving criminals on the loose.


National Hurricane Center forecasters predict that Ivan could hit the Florida Keys as a Category 4 hurricane, with winds of 131 to 155 mph, late Sunday or early Monday. At 5 p.m. EDT, Ivan’s eye was about 350 miles southeast of Jamaica with maximum sustained winds near 150 mph.


“In all likelihood, it’s coming our way,” Mr. Bush said.


The New York Sun

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