Floridians go through familiar evacuation drill

Thousands of residents fled the Florida Keys as Tropical Storm Rita barrelled toward land, poised to grow into a hurricane with a potential nine-foot storm surge and sparking fears it could eventually ravage the Gulf Coast.

South Floridians kept a wary eye on Rita, which threatened to arrive today and drop up to 15 inches of rain on some parts of the low-lying island chain. Oil prices surged on the possibility that oil and petrol production would be interrupted once again.