Florida braces as Wilma becomes category 5 hurricane

Hardware stores that sent supplies to areas devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita restocked their shelves for anxious Floridians waiting to see if Hurricane Wilma would turn toward the peninsula, which forecasters said could happen by the weekend.

Wilma grew into a dangerous Category 5 hurricane early today with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph, an increase of 65 mph from late yesterday.

Wilma was centred about 170 miles south-south-west of Grand Cayman, moving west-north-west at 8 mph, forecasters said.

Its potential path could threaten coastal areas in south-western Florida including Punta Gorda that were hit by Hurricane Charley – a Category 4 storm that was the first of six hurricanes to hit Florida since last year. Charley struck on August 13, 2004.

In Punta Gorda, some homes and businesses remain boarded up from Charley.

The hurricanes that have hit Florida caused damage estimated at more than $20bn and killed nearly 150 people.