Slow Wilma Lets Florida Prepare

Hurricane Wilma's march toward Florida slowed somewhat Thursday, giving residents an unexpected extra day to prepare for the storm, while authorities stockpiled emergency supplies.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said Wilma would likely strike Florida's western coast about midday Sunday, a day later than previously thought.

CBS News hurricane expert Bryan Norcross says that Wilma is "driving forecasters crazy" because of inconsistent computer models. It is still unknown where Wilma will strike Florida, but when it does, it

Max Mayfield, director of the center, said the slowdown would likely weaken the storm from a Category 4, with sustained 145 mph winds, to a Category 3 or less before making landfall in the United States.

"The timing is certainly working in our favor," Mayfield said. But he warned that a Category 3 storm, with winds of 111 mph to 130 mph, would still have "that potential for large loss of life."

Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency to ensure that necessary supplies and disaster response teams were in place.

"This is the time to prepare," Bush told reporters in Tallahassee.

In Tampa, CBS News correspondent Trish Regan reports that some of the city's most vulnerable residents — retirees — are meeting to make sure they're ready.

"We've done some extra preparation this year and we're scared," said Judy Kramer, a resident at Sun City Center.

Regan reports that one of the things they're most scared about is how to evacuate without getting caught in massive traffic jams like the ones Texas faced as millions tried to flee Hurricane Rita. Tampa plans on evacuating only those in harm's way, but it will take time.

"It would take us 24 hours just to evacuate Tampa alone," Tampa's Fire Chief Dennis Jones told Regan.

The storm was predicted to make a turn to the northeast toward Florida after striking Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula in the western Caribbean Sea.

Mayfield said Wilma is unusually large, with tropical storm-force winds extending out some 260 miles from the center that could cause widespread damage.

"Don't just focus on the eye of the hurricane," Mayfield said.

State meteorologist Ben Nelson warned that Wilma could produce a storm surge of 12 to 17 feet.

At 11 p.m. EDT, forecasters said Wilma was about 100 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, and about 455 miles southwest of Key West. It was heading northwest at about 6 mph toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, where Mayfield said it could do catastrophic damage.

Although Wilma was expected to approach from the west, forecasters warned that major Atlantic Coast cities including Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach could be hit by strong winds and heavy rains.

CBS News correspondent Jim Acosta reports that the hundreds of people still living in a Florida FEMA trailer village — who lost their homes in Hurricane Charley last year — have only one choice.

"If I can put an engine on this power chair I'll heft everything on my back and I am outta here," said Charlie Eckenrode, a FEMA trailer resident in a wheelchair.

Bush said the state had food, water, ice and other supplies ready, as well as disaster-response teams that included up to 7,500 National Guard members. "We are battle-tested, well-resourced, well-trained," he said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency was positioning emergency materials in Jacksonville, Lakeland and Homestead. FEMA acting chief R. David Paulison said the agency has 150 truckloads of ice and 150 truckloads of water, and the Red Cross has 200,000 meals available.

"We are ready for the storm, as much as you can be," Paulison said in Washington.

The governor urged people not to hoard gasoline, which frequently causes long lines at gas stations and some to run out of fuel. Bush said an estimated 200 million gallons of fuel were available at Florida ports, enough for an adequate supply.

In the low-lying, vulnerable Keys, the normally crowded historic district in Key West was eerily quiet Thursday. Tourists and nonresidents were already asked to leave. A mandatory evacuation of residents was expected to start Friday, although some did not seem to be hurried.

Mark Brann was relaxing outside Andy's Scooter Shop where he works. He had little to do without tourists.

"Where are you going to go? They don't know where the storm's going," he said, adding that he thinks he will be safe in his seventh-floor condominium.

Wilma was on a path that could threaten areas hit by Hurricane Charley in August 2004. Some houses and businesses in the area are still boarded up because of that storm.