To: StockDung who wrote (4135 ) 9/14/1999 12:12:00 PM From: Sir Auric Goldfinger Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 10354
DJ HURRICANE FLOYD POUNDS BAHAMAS;[ZSUN next] STORM SURGE WORRIES Hurricane Floyd Pounds Bahamas; Storm Surge Worries NASSAU, Bahamas (Dow Jones)--Hurricane Floyd pounded med Bahamas with howling winds and blinding rain Tuesday, snapping palm trees in half, ripping roofs off homes, downing power lines and churning up dangerous surf throughout the vulnerable islands. Frightened residents in the low-lying archipelago huddled inside their homes and dozens of public shelters as Floyd, a dangerous Category 4 storm with top sustained winds near 145 mph (230 kph), raked the Bahamas and threatened the U.S. states of Florida and Georgia. At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT), Floyd's center was between Eleuthera and Abaco islands, or about 215 miles (350 kilometers) east-southeast of Palm Beach, Florida. (near latitude 25.7 degrees north, longitude 76.8 degrees west) It was moving west-northwest near 14 mph (22 kph), and a gradual turn toward the northwest was expected later Tuesday. Maximum sustained winds were down from 155 mph (250 kph). Still in Floyd's path were the northern Abaco and Grand Bahama islands, population 52,000. San Salvador, Eleuthera and Cat islands reported 110-mph (176-kph) winds earlier Tuesday, and the U.S. National Hurricane Center cited reports of severe damage in Eleuthera. Floyd was expected to cut across the Bahamas and then arc along the Florida peninsula Wednesday. A hurricane warning was in effect from Florida City, Florida, to just south of Brunswick, Georgia. A hurricane watch was in effect northward to Little River Inlet, South Carolina. With evacuations planned or underway in parts of Florida and Georgia, the U.S. hurricane center issued a heavy surf advisory for the East Coast northward to Montauk Point, New York. Up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain and dangerous storm surges were likely in the Bahamas, and tropical storm force winds were expected in Miami and Fort Lauderdale Tuesday. In Nassau, the Bahamian capital, communications with the southeastern islands were down, and the Bahamas' telephone company said it didn't know when the linkup would be restored. The hurricane uprooted 30-foot (10-meter) trees, ripped awnings off buildings and sent horizontal sheets of rain through Nassau's deserted streets. Its roaring winds pelted the streets with debris and set off car alarms in New Providence Island, which has 165,000 people, half the country's population. Arthur Rolle, a forecaster at the Bahamas Department of Meteorology, said the storm's center passed over Arthur's Town on north Cat Island earlier Tuesday. Officials expected storm surges up to 20 feet (7 meters) and warned they could flood areas of New Providence six miles (10 kilometers) inland _ a daunting prospect for an island seven miles (11 kilometers) wide. Floyd disrupted airline flights, cruises and shipping traffic between the United States and the Caribbean. American Airlines canceled its nine daily flights between southern Florida and its hub in San Juan, Puerto Rico, while both Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines sent Bahamas-bound ships to Mexico instead. Bahamas Air flew its jets to Jamaica. In addition to Floyd, Hurricane Gert strengthened to winds near 105 mph (170 kph) and was 1,050 miles (1,700 kilometers) east of the Leeward Islands. (near latitude 17.1 degrees north, longitude 45.3 degrees west). Gert was moving toward the west at near 16 mph (26 kph).