Fay Strengthens, May Hit Florida Again

Tropical Storm May Yet Become Hurricane; Could Be A "Boomerang" Storm

(AP)  Tropical Storm Fay rolled ashore in southwestern Florida on Tuesday without much fanfare, but stubbornly hung around like an unwelcome houseguest, maintaining strength and threatening - once again - to become a hurricane.

The storm first hit the Florida Keys, veered out to sea and then traversed east across the state on a path that would curve it toward to the Florida-Georgia border. The failure of Fay to weaken meant a whole new swath of the state had to prepare for a worse storm, and meant Florida could wind up getting hit three separate times.

"This storm is going to be with us for a while. That's obvious now. It looks it could be a boomerang storm," Gov. Charlie Crist said at a news conference.

Earlier in the day, it had appeared that Fay would simply peter out and perhaps bring nothing but heavy rains to the southeastern United States. But by late Tuesday, a hurricane watch was posted for parts of north Florida and Georgia as Fay seemed to be resurrected by the flat, swampy Everglades, increasing the chances it could still end up strengthening into a hurricane. Its top sustained winds increased for several hours during the day and peaked at 65 mph, before dropping to 50 mph late Tuesday. A hurricane has winds of at least 74 mph.

Forecasters expected the storm to get a dose of energy Wednesday when it moves over the Atlantic Ocean, where it could reach hurricane strength.
At 11 p.m. EDT, the center of the storm was about 30 miles south-southwest of Melbourne and forecasters expected it to head north-northeast at about 5 mph overnight.

Eric Blake, a specialist at the National Hurricane Center, urged people not to focus too much on whether Fay was a tropical storm or a hurricane, because either one can cause damage. Fay had fallen short of predictions that it could be a Category 1 hurricane when it came ashore in southwest Florida Tuesday morning.

"A strong tropical storm can be very significant," he said, pointing to wind damage in the state's interior and the possibility of flooding from up to 15 inches expected in parts of central Florida.

Fay formed over the weekend in the Atlantic and was blamed for 14 deaths in the Carribean before hitting Florida.

Though it flooded streets in Naples, downed trees and plunged some 95,000 homes and businesses in the dark, most Floridians thought they had dodged a bullet. The worst of the storm's wrath appeared to be 51 homes hit by a tornado in Brevard County, southeast of Orlando. Nine of the homes were totaled, said Brevard County Emergency Operations Center spokesman David Waters.

Brevard County sheriff's deputies arrested three men for looting in the mobile home park, and a trapper was called to remove an alligator discovered wandering there.

Two injuries were reported in the Brevard County tornado, and a kitesurfer who was caught in a gust of wind Monday was critically injured when he slammed into a building in front of the beach near Fort Lauderdale. Kevin Kearney, 28, was still in critical condition Tuesday, Broward General Medical Center officials and his family said.

The storm's surprising path came after Florida officials pulled off all the stops to get ready, prompting some grousing among state residents that they had overrreacted to what was expected to be a minor storm. Crist declared a state of emergency two days before the storm even arrived, schools closed well in advance of the rain and 25,000 tourists in the Florida Keys were told to pack up their beach blankets and go home.

State officials defended the preparations Tuesday, and National Guard troops and storm supplies remained in reserve if needed.

"I don't know how that can be considered alarmist when we're just really trying to tell people 'This is Florida, you got a system out there, you've got to respect it, you've got to get ready,"' said Craig Fugate, the state's emergency management director.

In South Florida, the worst problem was street flooding. Most businesses there even opted to go without any shutters or other window protection. Of those that did, some plywood carried messages aimed at major storms from the past - "Pop Off Charley" and "Oh Wilma!" among them.

Farther north, farmers in drought-stricken North and South Carolina were hoping for a drenching from Fay but may have to keep their fingers crossed for a few more days. A high pressure system had the potential to stall the storm out over the Florida-Georgia border.

National Weather Service meteorologist Doug Outlaw said it was not clear whether the storm would track north to the Carolinas or veer west over Tennessee.

Flooding remained a concern as Fay heads up the Florida peninsula, with rainfall amounts forecast between 5 and 15 inches. The storm could also push tides 1 to 3 feet above normal and spawn tornadoes. Counties in the storm's path called off school for Wednesday and opened shelters.

[barbaraf4]

While I am concerned about these people, their lives and their possessions, this isn''t their first hurricane nor will it be their last. If you choose to live your life with a bullseye painted on your forehead, then why should we the taxpayers be expected to keep digging them out?

[miamimama3]

Looks like Babs lives Pleasantville. According to her logic, people in California deserve to have their homes crumble in an earthquake or perish in fires. People in the midwest deserve to have their homes blown down in tornadoes. And of course, people in Florida deserve to have their homes destroyed in a hurricane. Well, not just Florida, anywhere along the eastern seaboard to be exact. And so do the people up in the northeast who have to deal with noreasters, which are essentially hurricanes with lots of snow. So please Barbara, tell us where you live so we can all move to your perfect little garden of eden. Oh and FYI, not ONE tax dollar has ever been used to bail me or my family out after a storm. It''s called preparation.

[barbaraf4]

Posted by miamimama3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I''ve lived in all those places you mentioned and I''ve experienced all those disasters. What I haven''t done is expect anyone to rebuild for me or support me while I do it. You are exactly right. The key is preparation. But I still do not understand why people keep rebuilding in the path of disaster. I have better things to do with my life.

Come on down to Tennessee and wait for the New Madras Faultline to go active again. (actually it is already active - they record hundreds of minor quakes each year.)

[pirmin3]

Hey, if you live in a hurricane, tornado or earthquake prone area then get used to it or move. Why is this news?

[edalgleish]

So I guess everyone in the whole state of Florida is just supposed to pack up and move to somewhere else, that is ridiculous. I have lived here in FL, for over 13 yrs now, and it really has just been the past couple of yrs that we have gotten hit with 3 or more hurricanes in a season. It''s just a part of nature, what the state of Florida is just supposed to remain undeveloped because of something that happens a couple of times a year, being prepared and being smart is the key. As far as your tax paying dollars go, the State of Florida''s revenue in Tourism alone, probably tops that of Tennessee, so it is us, the Florida Tax Payers who pay to live here, before you write something I suggest that you know what you are talking about.

[edalgleish]

The message below is meant for barbaraf4, who really annoyed me with her comments on Florida

[pollroller1]

As far as I am concerned, Florida is as close to heaven as I will ever get. I''m sure not planning on selling my little peace of heaven.