Florida braces for tropical storm

Rain from Tropical Storm Ernesto swept across parts of the vulnerable Florida Keys today as residents hurried to fill petrol tanks, gather emergency supplies and board up windows before the main body of the storm strikes.

The storm has a chance of regaining hurricane strength before it makes landfall as early as tonight, forecasters at the National Hurricane Centre said.

On the anniversary of Katrina’s devastation of New Orleans, and with memories still fresh of the seven hurricanes that have hit Florida since 2004, state officials urged residents not to wait for Ernesto to strengthen again.

Tourists were ordered out of the Keys. Mainland Broward and Miami-Dade counties urged residents of mobile homes and homes still damaged from previous storms to evacuate early Tuesday.

Only eight passengers were on the last Greyhound bus leaving Key West, just before 9am this morning, what driver Enrique Javier called “the last flight out” because the airport had closed.

Ernesto had sustained wind of 45mph shortly before noon, with higher gusts, and the hurricane center said it was likely to grow more powerful as it crossed the warm Florida Straits between Cuba and the peninsula.

Forecasters put the chance of tropical storm-force wind of at least 39mph hitting Florida at about 70%. The number was only 5% for hurricane-force sustained wind of at least 74mph, but forecasters warned Floridians to pay attention even if it doesn’t become a hurricane.

“A strong tropical storm is certainly capable of producing wind gusts to hurricane force and those winds can cause power lines to go down” and can cause roof damage, senior hurricane specialist Richard Knabb said.

Tropical storm warnings were extended along the East Coast from the Florida Keys to Altamaha Sound, Georgia, about halfway up the Georgia coast, and a tropical storm watch was extended along Florida’s Gulf Coast north to Tarpon Springs, Florida. All of Florida’s southern half was under a tropical storm watch or warning.

Line formed across southern Florida at petrol stations and groceries and home-supply stores as soon as they opened as people grabbed emergency supplies.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it had 120 truckloads of water and meals stationed in Florida.

NASA started moving space shuttle Atlantis off the launch pad and back into its giant shelter at Cape Canaveral because of the storm. Cruise ship companies diverted several liners.