Ike Set To Bypass Keys, But Gulf Coast Worries

KEY WEST, Fla. — Residents in the Florida Keys breathed a sigh of relief yesterday as a fierce Hurricane Ike turned west on a path away from the low-lying island chain. But Gulf Coast states watched anxiously to see if the storm was gunning for them instead.Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that, after passing into the Gulf of Mexico sometime tonight, Ike could make landfall in America over the weekend near the Texas-Louisiana border, possibly not far from Houston. Governor Perry of Texas pre-declared disasters in 88 counties to aid storm preparation and put 7,500 National Guard members on standby.In Louisiana, where thousands remain without power after Hurricane Gustav hit last week, Governor Jindal urged residents to start stockpiling food, water, batteries, and other supplies. The state also was readying shelters and making plans for trains, buses, and planes in case a coastal evacuation is called later in the week.“It is still too early to be evacuating certainly, but it is not too early to be making sure you’ve got food and water and batteries. It’s not too early to be checking your car,” Mr. Jindal said.With the storm on a new track, Keys officials let an evacuation order expire yesterday. By late afternoon Ike had weakened to a Category 1 storm, and a hurricane watch for the island chain was discontinued.Ike is still supposed to deliver heavy rain and wind, and authorities suggested residents who had left stay away until tomorrow. They said those who stayed behind should remain inside, and tourists should wait for the weekend to return.Many storm-hardened locals just rode out the hype the way they usually do — drinking. Key West residents are a hardy bunch, generations of whom have lived through storms. They typically take a wait-and-see stance.“Us folks have lived here for years. We worry but we always think it will be OK,” an 80-year-old, Barbara Kellner, said while walking her dog. “And we see the weather report today, and it appears it all will be okay.”Businesses were not as cavalier. It was the second time in a month vacationers left en masse. Tourists also cleared out of the Keys last month ahead of Tropical Storm Fay, and their departure means a hit to the bottom line. Officials estimate tourists spend about $175 a day in the Keys. With some 20,000 having fled for Ike, that’s about $3.5 million for each day they’re gone.“I think they called the guns out a little too soon. They killed business,” the manager of the nearly empty Croissants de France bakery, Deborah Dietrich, said. “Whether we have hurricane ruin or not, there’s financial ruin.”The mayor of Monroe County, Mario Di Gennaro, said he didn’t regret telling tourists and residents to get out of town ahead of Ike, though he acknowledged that such orders are costly. He estimated businesses throughout the Keys lost about $10 million because of evacuations for Tropical Storm Fay last month.

Ike Set To Bypass Keys, But Gulf Coast Worries

Ike Set To Bypass Keys, But Gulf Coast Worries

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