300,000 urged to evacuate in Palm Beach County
Other evacuations:
Martin County | St. Lucie County | Okeechobee County
By Deana Poole
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 1
Up and down the eastern coast of Florida, county emergency officials braced for the worst from Hurricane Frances, ordering the mandatory evacuation of hundreds of thousands of residents on barrier islands, near the coastline and in mobile homes.
A state of emergency was declared in Palm Beach County Wednesday afternoon, with county officials ordering the mandatory evacuation of about 300,000 residents living in mobile homes, east of U.S. 1, and along the edge of Lake Okeechobee.
The evacuation order is effective 2 p.m. Thursday. At the same time, hurricane shelters will be opened across the county.
"We urge all residents to take this very seriously," said County Commission Chairwoman Karen Marcus during a news conference that the county's now-activated emergency operations center. "There is no more time for delay. Secure your home."
While the National Hurricane Center remained uncertain about where Hurricane Frances will make landfall, county officials were preparing for winds anywhere from 75 mph to 140 mph and a storm surge of up to 10 feet.
They said Palm Beach County hasn't been hit by a hurricane of this magnitude since 1947. "It is nothing to take lightly," said Vince Bonvento, assistant county administrator.
Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast is only a small part of Hurricane Frances' "cone of probability," but it is in the middle of that cone.
"It could be anywhere along the east coast of Florida, but especially in an area from the southeast Florida coast to perhaps around the Cape Canaveral area," National Hurricane Center specialist Stacy R. Stewart said.
And, the storm could be at Category 5, the highest level of the Saffir-Simpson scale, when it makes landfall.
Frances is approaching Florida at a northwest angle, and because the coast is also at an angle, the storm is close to paralleling the coast. That was the problem with Charley, which appeared aimed right at Tampa, then made a tiny shift to the right that brought it ashore at Punta Gorda.
Stewart said a 30 mile deviation on either side of center means the difference between Frances striking Broward County or Cape Canaveral.
Stewart said up to 10 inches of rain could fall in 24 to 36 hours.
By 9 a.m. Friday, the county is expected to experience winds topping 39 mph. Hurricane force winds exceeding 75 mph are expected to reach Palm Beach County by midnight Friday.
Palm Beach County gradually will shut down late Thursday morning in anticipation of Hurricane Frances:
Public schools will close three hours early Thursday, starting with elementary schools at 11 a.m. By 1 p.m. all public schools will be shut down. Schools will remain closed on Friday.
All county and state offices will close at noon Thursday, as well as the Port of Palm Beach.
Bridges to barrier islands will be closed to automobile traffic at 9 a.m. Friday until further notice.
Trash and garbage collection will be suspended on Friday. Collection hours will be extended today and Thursday in hopes of clearing streets and yards of debris. No collection is expected over the weekend.
Palm Tran service will be suspended Friday and Saturday.
Palm Beach International Airport will close once sustained winds reach 50 mph possibly by late Friday morning. Travelers should check with airlines on flight cancellations and other delays before going to PBIA.
Martin County evacuations
In Martin County, residents of barriers islands, manufactured homes and mobile homes will be ordered to evacuate effective noon Thursday, according to Martin County officials.
Sewall's Point residents area also included in the order.
Shelters will open at noon for evacuees at at Jensen Beach Elementary School, Warfield Elementary, Seawind Elementary and Crystal Lake Elementary in Martin County. A special needs shelter will open at Challenger School for those who have preregistered and they will be notified. Those who go to shelters should bring comfortable clothing, at least a gallon of water per person, all necessary medications and bedding. No pets, alcohol, or firearms are allowed.
Officials recommend those who plan to leave the area avoid going to the west coast which is still recovering from Hurricane Charlies and suggested a better plan would be to head north out of state.
It's expected St. Lucie County will order a similar evacuation, but officials were still meeting Wednesday afternoon.
St. Lucie County evacuations
St. Lucie County is also recommending evacuation of mobile homes, manufactured homes and the barrier islands begining at noon Thursday. A list of shelters will be issued later.
Officials were discouraging motorists from attempting to flee, saying no part of the state was safe at this point. They also feared gridlock on the turpike and interstate highways. They suggested staying elsewher within the county if they feel their homes are not safe. They said shelters, with limited space, should be considered a last resort.
Okeechobee County evacuations
Okeechobee County will have a mandatory evacuation of mobile homes and unsafe, wooden structures beginning at 7 a.m. Thursday. Shelters will be open at 4 p.m.
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This has got to be some of the scariest weather stuff I have ever read!
According to this, it would NOT be a good idea for my brother and his GF to go "west"..
Stay safe - and try to DIS from down there in WDW so we know you're okay..
shopgirl(arly)
