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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Wilma Makes Landfall As Category 3 Storm |
| 2005-10-24 |
| Hurricane Wilma crashed ashore early Monday as a strong Category 3 storm, battering southwest Florida with tornados, 125 mph winds that shook the sturdiest buildings and pounding waves that flooded parts of this area and Key West. At least one death was blamed on the storm. A man in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Coral Springs died when a tree fell on him, Broward County spokesman Carl Fowler said. Fowler had no other details. More than 316,000 homes and businesses lost power. More than 33,100 Floridians spent what almost certainly was an anxious night in dozens of shelters across the state's southern half. Virtually the entire peninsula was under some sort of storm-related watch or warning. The center of Wilma's eye made landfall around 6:30 a.m. EDT near Cape Romano on an uninhabited island of the same name, 22 miles south of Naples in Collier County on Florida's southwest coast, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. But severe weather began long before. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #5 Sean Penn, please pick up the white courtesy phone... |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-10-24 16:41 |
| #4 HAVANA (AP) - Hurricane Wilma drove the ocean over Havana's seawall Monday, spilling water into coastal neighborhoods of aging buildings and forcing rescuers to take to inflatable rafts to pull nearly 250 people from flooded homes. The seaside Malecon highway was inundated as swirling brown waters spread up to four blocks inland, submerging cars and leaving only the bright blue tops of phone booths peeking out. Waves lapped at the front door of the Foreign Ministry as young men in wooden boats rowed nearby. There were no immediate reports of casualties on the island Monday, although tornados spun off by the storm over the weekend injured six people in rural areas. Nearly 700,000 people were evacuated across Cuba's west in recent days as Wilma approached, the government said. While Havana's coastal road and adjacent neighborhoods often flood during storms, the extent of flooding Monday was highly unusual. ``We're amazed,'' resident Laura Gonzalez-Cueto said as she watched government scuba divers bring out people in black inflatable rafts with outboard motors. At least 244 people, including some children, were rescued during the morning, municipal official Mayra Lassale said. |
| Posted by: Steve 2005-10-24 16:12 |
| #3 I heard an estimated 50" of rain on Havana....I suppose it is wishful thinking Fidel would be washed out to sea. Does anyone know if he spent the weekend as Chavez' guest or what the damages are there? |
| Posted by: Danielle 2005-10-24 10:44 |
| #2 Insh'allah. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-10-24 09:16 |
| #1 Watching a Fox News reporter out in storm telling people to be careful while dodging flying signs. One of these days we'll get to see one of these yahoos decapitated on live TV. |
| Posted by: Steve 2005-10-24 09:05 |