Wilma

The over-sized buoy denoting the Southernmost Point in the continental United States in Key West, Fla., is seen prepared for Hurricane Wilma on Thursday Oct. 20, 2005. The popular tourist attraction was in the process of being repainted after the damaging effects from Hurricane Rita on Sept. 20, 2005.

Dolphin Stadium employee Thomas Wilson paints the field Thursday, Oct. 20, 2005, in Miami, in preparation for a game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday. The game, originally scheduled to be played Sunday, was changed due to the approach of Hurricane Wilma.

Tourists wait in line to leave at the Cancun International Airport as Hurricane Wilma approaches the area on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2005. Wilma wobbled toward Mexico's Cancun resort and Florida on Wednesday as an "extremely dangerous" storm that has already killed 12 people in the Caribbean. It was labeled the most intense ever to form in the Americas.

The main stage where the MTV Latino awards were supposed to be held is seen from above as workers begin dismantling it after the event was cancelled "due to the increased intensity of Hurricane Wilma" in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2005. The U.S. National Hurricane Center has said that the storm has developed into the most intense hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin.

Jose Vladimir rides his bicycle as dark clouds are seen above the resort city of Playa del Carmen in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2005. Hurricane Wilma, which has developed into the most intense hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin, is forecast to pass close by Mexico's Caribbean coast on Oct. 21.

Meteorologist Robert Berg, right, looks at an infrared satellite image of Hurricane Wilma, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2005, in Miami. Wilma intensified quickly Wednesday into the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record, as Florida waited for the Category 5 storm to possibly slam the southern peninsula with weaker but still devastating winds by the weekend.

Juan Avelar, center, and his work crew hang hurricane shutters on a Key Largo, Fla., shopping center Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2005, as Hurricane Wilma approaches the area.

Residents stand in line for gas before the threat of Hurricane Wilma, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2005, in Havana, Cuba. Cuban authorities issued a hurricane watch for the western end of the island from Matanzas to Pinar del Rio, as well as for the Isle of Youth.

Hurricane watch flags flutter at the eastern shoreline of Grand Cayman, the largest of the Cayman Islands, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2005. Authorities urged businesses to close early to give employees time to prepare for Hurricane Wilma, which formed in the Caribbean on Tuesday and quickly grew into a Category 5 monster storm early Wednesday with 175 mph winds.

Meteorologist Daniel Brown looks at an infrared satellite image of Hurricane Wilma on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2005, at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Forecasters say the storm could threaten the Florida coast over the weekend. It's on a path that would take it to the same areas hit by Hurricane Charley, the first of seven hurricanes to hit Florida since August 2004.

This NOAA satellite image taken Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2005 at 1:15 p.m. EDT shows clouds associated with strengthening Hurricane Wilma in the bottom central portion of the image. Wilma became the Atlantic season's 12th hurricane Tuesday, the same number reached in 1969, the highest since record-keeping began in 1851. It is also the 21st named storm, tying the record set in 1933.

Chuck Allford loads plywood into the back of his truck at a store Tuesday morning, Oct. 18, 2005, in Port Charlotte. Allford, a local realtor, said he plans to store the plywood in case any of his clients need it to protect their homes from Hurricane Wilma.

Sandra Mallory loads bottled water in her car after shopping for her 93-year-old mother Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2005 in Port Chalotte, Fla. Mallory said she plans to stay at home if Hurricane Wilma threatens the area. Wilma is expected to gain strength later this week, and take a path toward the southwestern coast -- near where Hurricane Charley hit last year.

A man walks through flood waters in Kingston, Jamaica, Monday, Oct. 17, 2005. Wilma was expected to bring heavy rain to the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, with as much as 12 inches possible in some areas, forecasters said. Up to 10 inches of rain was possible in parts of Honduras.

A car navigates floodwater from Tropical Storm Wilma on the Mandela Highway, Monday, Oct. 17, 2005 in Kingston, Jamaica. Wilma was expected to bring heavy rain in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, with as much as 12 inches possible in some areas, forecasters said.