Hurricane Wilma crashes into Florida
Crashing through the state's back door, Hurricane Wilma made landfall in Florida this morning as a major hurricane. Millions of people shuddered in shuttered homes as the storm roared through the lower half of the already battered state.
The leading edge of its eye touching the mainland at Cape Romano as a major hurricane. Landfall came just before 6:30 a.m., about 20 miles south of Marco Island along the lower Gulf Coast.
Wilma is the eighth hurricane to strike or brush Florida in 14 months.
Its maximum winds were measured at 125 mph, making it a strong Category 3 hurricane. Powerful gusts swept the entire region, including Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Authorities in Miami-Dade said conditions compelled them to stop responding to most 911 calls for help. At the National Hurricane Center, forecasters lowered storm shutters over the doors. The blue-green glow of electrical transformers exploding lit the sky over Miami International Airport.
More than 316,000 customers of Florida Power & Light already were without power, including some in Miami Beach, other parts of Miami-Dade and in Broward, including Cooper City.
Repair crews, including those in 1,000 utility trucks waiting to the north, cannot be deployed until winds fall below 30 mph -- which could be late this afternoon.
The storm was carving through the lower part of the state with lightning forward speed -- between 20 and 30 mph.
It will bring much of its worst weather to Miami-Dade and Broward, forecasters said.
''It's not going to have time weaken over land,'' said Ed Rappaport, the National Hurricane Center's deputy director. ``The roughest weather in South Florida will be over the next four to five hours.''
Gusts of 85 mph already were reported at the hurricane center in West Miami-Dade, 70 mph at the Broward County Emergency Operations Center in Plantation, 66 mph in Cooper City, 59 mph at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and 51 mph at Miami International Airport.
The Florida Keys were under a particularly intense attack. Instruments measured wind gusts of 120 mph at Cudjoe Key, 101 mph at Sombrero Key and 74 mph at Long Key.
Forecasters warned that eight-foot storm surges could sweep over the islands and sea water severed U.S. 1 at Mile Markers 74 and 75.
Damage reports were spotty, but flooding on the Atlantic Ocean side of Key West was extensive, according to Billy Wagner Sr., Monroe County's senior emergency manager. Some reports mentioned four feet of water in the city.
''They're getting clobbered all the way up the Keys,'' Wagner said.
He also said flooding in Marathon was worse than during Hurricane Georges, which pounded its way through the Florida Keys in 1998.
And, for now, lousier weather was still on the way.
''We haven't even seen Wilma's core pass yet,'' said Tony Carper, Broward's director of emergency management. ``We can expect this to be stronger than anything we've seen in the last couple of years.''
Sustained tropical storm winds will blanket the entire region later this morning, in many areas growing into hurricane force winds.
Forecasters said Wilma's expansive, 65-mile-wide eye soon would move farther inland.
The most powerful squalls surrounded that eye and were expected to slam into Miami-Dade and portions of Broward.
Emergency managers urged residents not to venture outside during the brief period of calm that occurs when the eye rolls overhead. Downed power lines and other debris pose lethal danger, and the strong wind will return without warning.
''We're going to see some very hard weather, probably until mid-afternoon,'' Carper said. ``People need to stay indoors and off the road until it's all clear.''
In Miami-Dade, the wind and rain compelled authorities to close the Rickenbacker Causeway between the mainland and Key Biscayne, except for emergency vehicle, though even they were affected by Wilma.
The county's fire and emergency vehicles stopped responding to 911 calls shortly after 6 a.m. -- standard procedure when winds begin reaching hurricane strength.
Emergency calls ''will be handled on a case by case basis,'' said Cynthia Martinez, spokeswoman for Miami-Dade's office of emergency management.
''The wind is just too strong and too dangerous,'' she said.
In Sunny Isles Beach, the wind rattled windows, bent palms trees and bounce electric wires. Police on the Bravo portion of an emergency Alpha/Bravo shift monitored events from their station.
''All we know is what we see on the TV,'' said Sgt. Edward Santiago. ``It's just too dangerous out there.''
A massive storm tide -- up to 18 feet -- is now occurring along the Gulf Coast in south Collier County. Roads to Marco Island, Everglades City and Chokoloskee are believed to be flooded.
Forecasters warned that some causeways in Miami-Dade could be flooded by three to five feet of water later this morning.
Around the region:
• Some parts of Key West were believed to be under at least four feet of water, with at least 30 percent of the city severely flooded, but officials could not get outside to accurately assess the situation.
''There is flooding in New Town. The worst is by the high school,'' said Michael Haskins, a spokesman for the city.
Power was out in Key West and other areas of the Keys and parts of U.S. 1 and other roads were believed to be impassable. A water main break in Key West sharply reduced water pressure and triggered concerns over water quality.
Officials at Monroe's primary Emergency Operations Center in Marathon and the EOC in Key West were operating on generator power. Cell service was out in many areas.
Power lines sparked a fire at the home of county Administrator Tom Willi on Summerland Key, but firefighters were not yet able to respond to the scene because of weather conditions.
The ocean side of Marathon was flooded up to U.S. 1, according to county Sheriff Rick Roth, but much more was expected to come:
An anticipated flood surge from Florida Bay was expected later this morning. Roth said water near the bay side of Marathon looked as if it had receded with Wilma's initial motion.
But the waters were forecast to return with a surge that could roil up to eight feet of water onto some parts of the Keys.
''We definitely have more to come. We are going to start experiencing flooding on the Gulf Side,'' Roth said.
• In Fort Myers, north of the storm's center, conditions began deteriorating early this morning. Curtains of rain lashed the area, flooding parking lots and invading low-lying buildings.
• In Martin County along the East Coast, near where Wilma was forecast to reach the Atlantic around noon, the pre-dawn darkness brought swift gusts of warm damp air, seasoned occasionally with sprinkles of rain.
Wind whined in the massive communications tower above the emergency operations center. Underneath it, in a bunker banked with sod, emergency management workers watched the progress of the storm or prepared for the aftermath while others caught a few minutes of sleep -- preparing for a busy day.
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amiherald/news/12980176.htm
Posted by Editor at October 24, 2005 06:49 AM
