Tropical Storm Ernesto Rains on Florida
Pastor Dale Morgan
Aug 29, 3:57 PM EDT
*Tropical Storm Ernesto Rains on Florida*
By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ
Associated Press Writer
MIAMI (AP) -- Tropical Storm Ernesto's leading edge drenched Miami and
the rest of southern Florida on Tuesday as it steamed toward the
Sunshine State with a potential for more than a foot of rain. But
forecasters said there was only an outside chance it would strengthen
into a hurricane.
Residents took no chances, though, mindful of the seven hurricanes that
have hit the state since 2004 and Katrina, which struck New Orleans
exactly one year ago.
"I don't think it's going to be too big, but you never know,'" said
Frankel Herad as he removed brightly colored African dresses from the
walls of his store in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood.
At midday, Ernesto had top winds of 45 mph. And there was only a "remote
possibility" it could become a hurricane with winds of 74 mph or greater
before crossing over Florida overnight, the National Hurricane Center said.
Forecasters expected 5 to 15 inches of rain, which could flood streets
and homes. Residents in flood-prone areas filled thousands of sandbags
in anticipation of high water.
"People will let their guard down. They're going to do foolish things
and they're going to get hurt. This storm is not over," said Craig
Fugate, the state's emergency management director.
Ernesto was expected to move up the middle of the state and over the
northeastern coast by early Thursday before churning into the Atlantic
Ocean, where it could regain hurricane status before hitting Georgia or
the Carolinas. Ernesto was briefly a hurricane Sunday before it struck Cuba.
Gov. Jeb Bush, joined by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff,
said the state was ready to respond to any problems with 500 National
Guardsmen and another 500 state law enforcement officers.
"This does not look like a catastrophic event, but we always want to be
ready," said Chertoff, who had just come from the Katrina anniversary
events in Louisiana and Mississippi.
NASA scrubbed Tuesday's launch of Atlantis and began moving to the
shuttle back to its hangar to protect it from high winds.
At 2 p.m. EDT, Ernesto was centered over warm open water in the Florida
Straits, about 135 miles south of Miami. It was northwest at about 13 mph.
Across populous South Florida, residents scurried to make last-minute
preparations. Most schools were closed, and lines formed early at
groceries, gas stations, pharmacies and hardware stores.
Officials repeatedly urged people to have enough supplies for 72 hours,
especially given the likelihood of power outages.
In Davie, Pedro Concepcion was about to leave his mobile home to get
supplies, including wood to board up the windows and a tarp for his roof.
"Last year we had a lot of damage, so we want to be prepared. We still
have some damage to windows," he said.
Officials in the Miami-Dade and Fort Lauderdale areas urged mobile home
residents to evacuate, but not all did so.
Shelters were open throughout the region. More than 160 people were at
one in Miami-Dade County by midday, but there were only 10 at a shelter
near Fort Lauderdale and only 30 at four shelters in Monroe County in
the Keys.
"I'm not surprised, because it's only a tropical storm. Most people are
not going to leave their homes for a tropical storm," said Greg Artman,
spokesman for Monroe County's emergency management office.
Damage from 2005 and 2004 hurricanes continues to plague many residents,
with thousands still awaiting roof repairs.
In Miami, 49-year-old Luckner Senatus prepared to move his family to
their nearby church. His neat beige bungalow was still covered with a
blue tarp, with yellow water stains on the walls. He was still waiting
for a contractor to fix his roof.
"They called last night to say maybe next week they will begin work,"
said Senatus, shaking his head. "We can't stay here tonight. We are all
going to have to leave."
Ernesto killed at least two people in Haiti, including a woman washed
out to sea Sunday from a southern island, the country's civil protection
agency said.
There were no reports of damage or deaths in Cuba. In an unusual sign of
the cooperation that has long existed between U.S. and Cuban weather
services, the National Hurricane Center thanked Cuba's government for
permitting reconnaissance aircraft "to fly right up to their coastline
to gather this critical weather data."
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Associated Press writers Michelle Spitzer in Davie, Adrian Sainz in
Miami, Matt Sedensky in Marathon and Phil Davis in Naples contributed to
this report.