Hurricane Frances Update - Sunday 12 NOON
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September 04, 2004
Hurricane Frances Update - Sunday 12 NOON
I just lost power, so this may not get completed. As of 11:00 a.m. Hurricane Frances was located at 80 miles east-southeast of Tampa at Latitude 27.7 North and Longitude 81.2 West. The storm is moving toward the west-northwest at 9 mph. A continued west-northwest movement is expected across the Florida peninsula today. Maximum sustained winds are 90 mph with higher gusts possible.
I have lost track of the damage through the night, because I chose to sleep while I could. The Tampa Bay area is now experiencing tropical force winds with gusts that makes our roof creak and my mind wondering if it will hold. They say this uncertainty will last all day as the storm moves slowly over the Peninsula. The steady rain hasn't yet arrived, but they say it is coming... as are stronger winds. We are among the lucky ones though... we still have power, although I can't be sure how long that will last and how long these updates will continue.
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Hurricane Advisories:
A hurricane warning has been issued for the East Coast of Florida from north of Deerfield Beach northward to Flagler Beach including Lake Okeechobee and for all of the Florida Keys.
A hurricane warning has been issued for the Gulf Coast of Florida from the mouth of the Suwannee River to Destin.
Isolated tornadoes are possible over Central and North Central Florida today.
Swells generated by Frances are affecting portions of the Southeastern U.S. and may cause dangerous surf and rip currents. | All About Hurricanes |
Evacuations:
A mandatory evacuation for mobile homes, coastal and low-lying areas in these counties: Brevard, Broward, Citrus, Glades, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Levy, Manatee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Pasco, Sarasota, Seminole and St. Lucie.
A voluntary evacuation has been ordered for Collier County's mobile homes east of I-95. Also, voluntary evacuations have been ordered for the following counties: DeSoto, Flagler, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk and Sumter counties.
The following hospitals have been evacuated and closed: Cape Canaveal Hospital, Cocoa Beach; Wuesthoff Medical Center, Rockledge; Fort Lauderdale Hospital; Sister Emmanuel Hospital, Miami; Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach; DeSoto Memorial Hospital, Arcadia; Healthsouth Treasure Coast, Vero Beach; Lifestream Behavioral Center, Leesburg; Martin Memorial Hospital South, Stuart; Martin Memorial Medical Center, Stuart; Raulerson Hospital, Okeechobee; Sandypines Hospital, Tequesta; Good Samaritan Medical Center, West Palm Beach; Savannas Hospital, Port St. Lucie; Saint Lucie Medical Center, Port St. Lucie; and, Florida Hospital, Oceanside.
Closings and Cancellations:
The Skyway Bridge linking Pinellas and Manatee counties (St. Petersburg and Bradenton) is closed as of 3 p.m. Saturday due to gusty winds.
Kennedy Space Center will be closed Thursday, September 2 through Sunday, September 5. Plans are to reopen Monday, September 6 at 9 a.m.
Flamingo Gardens will be closed through Tuesday, September 7. The Labor Day Fair has been cancelled and rescheduled for November 6.
Miami Metrozoo is closed to the public.
Universal Orlando is closing its Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios and Universal CityWalk facilities at 3 p.m. Friday. They will remain closed Saturday.
Disney World will operate on an abbreviated schedule Friday, September 3, and its theme parks and water parks will be closed Saturday and Sunday. All resort hotels will remain open throughout the storm except for Ft. Wilderness Resort and Campground. Those guests will be relocated to other hotels on property. All cast members scheduled to work Friday should report to work.
The Tom Joyner Family Reunion at the Walt Disney Resort in Orlando scheduled for September 3-6 has been cancelled.
SeaWorld Orlando and Discovery Cove will close at 3 p.m. Friday and remain closed Saturday.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island Water Park will be OPEN on Saturday. Sunday's schedule will be accessed when the path of the storm becomes more evident.
Fantasy of Flight is closed through Sunday, September 5.
Cypress National Preserve and most areas of Everglades National Park are closed.
Cruise ports that are closed include the Port of Miami, Port Everglades and Port Canaveral.
These counties have closed schools for both Thursday and Friday: Palm Beach County, Miami-Dade, Brevard, Broward, Flagler, St. Lucie, Volusia, Monroe and Indian River
These counties plan to cancel classes for Friday: Charlotte, Citrus, DeSoto, Duval, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole and St. Johns .
The Red Cross and FEMA have suspended all operations in connection with Hurricane Charley recovery until after Hurricane Frances.
Monday's FSU-Miami game in Miami rescheduled for September 10.
Saturday's Florida-Middle Tennessee State football game in Gainesville has been rescheduled for October 16.
Travel information:
Airports will inforce cancellation fees unless the airport is closed.
Miami International Airport is closed at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Airports in Jacksonville are open, but without flights scheduled.
Melbourne International Airport will close at 8 a.m. Friday.
Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport will close at 10 a.m. Friday.
Orlando International Airport is closed.
Tampa International Airport is now closed.
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport is closed.
Bradenton-Sarasota International Airport is closed.
Amtrak trains scheduled to and from New York to Miami are cancelled. Auto Train from Virginia to Sanford has been cancelled.
Tolls on most major highways have been lifted.
Florida Department of Transportation has suspended all interstate lane closures not related to hurricane preparation in the Tampa Bay area.
More information will be available as it is announced.
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