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To: maceng2 who wrote (850)	10/22/2005 10:27:30 AM
From: maceng2	Respond to of 1417

Florida Keys residents ordered to evacuate Wilma expected to hit Sunshine State on Monday Saturday, October 22, 2005; Posted: 8:49 a.m. EDT (12:49 GMT) cnn.com A mandatory evacuation order was issued Saturday for the low-lying Florida Keys as residents and emergency officials in southern Florida made preparations for Hurricane Wilma, which could strike on Monday. Residents had started leaving the Keys and parts of the mainland Friday as the tempest slammed into Mexico's Yucatan peninsula as a Category 4 storm. Wilma weakened further on Saturday and was expected to stall over the Yucatan for about two days. It could be a Category 1 or 2 when it hits Florida, forecasters said. "Florida should take advantage of the slow pace and use this time to stock up on supplies and prepare," Gov. Jeb Bush told reporters. Wilma would be the eighth hurricane to hit or pass by near the state since August 2004. Scattered gas shortages were reported but Bush said the state had a 10-day supply. Traffic jams backed up highways Friday as people fled the west coast, but state troopers told the governor most of the congestion was due to accidents. The Federal Emergency Management Agency had extra people, communications gear and emergency supplies in Florida, hoping to avoid a repeat of the slow initial response to Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. "We're going to make sure we understand what's going on and we're able to respond when the state requests assistance," FEMA acting chief R. David Paulison said Saturday on NBC's "Today." Monroe County issued an evacuation order for all residents of the Keys, connected to each other by a single highway, starting at noon Saturday. On Friday, they had urged residents to evacuate voluntarily. Collier County ordered mandatory evacuations Friday for areas close to the Gulf Coast, such as Naples and the snowbird enclave Marco Island. In the past, many residents in the free-spirited Keys ignored evacuation orders. But after Katrina's death and destruction in Louisiana and Mississippi, Key West streets were nearly empty Friday and plywood covered most windows. "The economy of life is greater than the economy of substance," Key West Mayor Morgan McPherson said. Kimberly and Paul Tucchinio, of Naples, live three blocks from the beach in a concrete, two-story condo. They said if the storm is anything less than a Category 4 and is not approaching head-on, they will stick around. "If it starts to turn and comes straight at us, I'm out of here," said Paul Tucchinio, who said he has vivid memories of Hurricane Camille when he was a 3-year-old in Biloxi, Mississippi. "Been there and done that." Hospitals and nursing homes had contingency plans ready in case Wilma headed their way. Officials want to avoid the deaths of patients and residents that resulted when Hurricane Katrina trapped people in Louisiana and Mississippi. At Charlotte Regional Medical Center in Punta Gorda, administrators discharged as many patients as possible and had reduced the number of elective surgeries. They prepared to evacuate patients if needed, executive director Dan Buckner said. The hospital suffered tens of millions of dollars in damage last year from Hurricane Charley. Computer models still were unclear as to what part of Florida would be affected by Wilma. But National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield stressed that Wilma probably would be a strong hurricane with a high storm surge when it reaches the state. "The message here is to continue to pay very close attention. It's still coming. It's just been slowed down," Mayfield said.