Keys wary with Fay on the horizon
Storm kills 50 in Haiti as it nears Florida
KEY WEST, Fla. - About 50 people died in Haiti yesterday when a bus tried to cross a river swollen with rain from Tropical Storm Fay and was swept away, and Florida Keys officials closed schools, opened shelters, and urged visitors to leave as the storm threatened to strengthen into a hurricane.
Traffic remained light leaving Key West and the Lower Keys yesterday afternoon as the sky darkened with storm clouds and the National Weather Service issued watches and warnings.
Fay, the sixth storm of the 2008 Atlantic season, picked up some momentum yesterday afternoon as it headed toward Cuba, and could be a hurricane by the time it reaches the island's center, forecasters said. In Haiti, two dozen survivors were pulled alive out of the raging waters of the Riviere Glace in the southwestern province of Grand-Anse after the bus accident, Reuters reported.
The storm had killed five others in Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Saturday.
At 8 p.m. yesterday, Fay had maximum sustained winds near 50 miles per hour.
Authorities in Florida said traffic was becoming heavy in the Upper Keys, where the 110-mile, mostly two-lane highway that runs through the island chain meets the mainland. The Florida Highway Patrol sent in extra troopers to assist and tolls were suspended on parts of the northbound turnpike.
Fay could start pelting parts of the Keys and South Florida late today or early tomorrow as a strong tropical storm or minimal hurricane. Aside from wind damage, most of the islands sit at sea level and could face some limited flooding from Fay's storm surge.
Officials in the Keys and elsewhere planned to open shelters and encouraged or ordered people who live in low-lying areas and on boats to evacuate. Schools in the Keys will be closed today and tomorrow.
Keys officials earlier yesterday had issued a mandatory evacuation order for visitors and asked those who had not yet arrived to postpone their trips. Officials said hotels and businesses won't be forced to remove visitors, but should use common sense.
Forecasters shifted the storm's track a little more westward yesterday, but the Keys could still be affected. Fay was still forecast to move up the western coast of Florida, but could stay over open water longer, said Corey Walton, a hurricane support meteorologist. Fay probably won't traverse as much of the Florida peninsula as initially thought, but the state will be affected by its winds.
Some Key West businesses began putting up hurricane shutters yesterday, but tourists and residents still strolled through downtown.
Sainz and friend Ron Norgard, also of Omaha, sat outside the La Concha Hotel in Key West on rocking chairs.
Neither seemed too worried.
"Yeah, we just had a tornado with 105 miles per hour winds back home," Norgard said.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency Saturday as an emergency operations center opened in Tallahassee. Yesterday, he urged Floridians "to remain calm, remain vigilant" and said he has not requested any federal help yet.
He said 9,000 Florida National Guard troops are available, but only 500 are on active duty right now.
A hurricane watch was in effect for most of the Keys and along Florida's west coast to Tarpon Springs.
A tropical storm watch was also in effect for the southeast coast of Florida from Ocean Reef north to Jupiter Inlet.
A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible, generally within 36 hours. A tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions are expected within 24 hours. Forecasters said rainfall totals of 4 to 6 inches with maximum amounts of 10 inches were possible for the Florida Keys and South Florida. 