Florida declares an emergency

2005-10-20 19:28

Miami - Florida governor Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency as massive Hurricane Wilma threatened the southern United States state.

But, authorities in the Florida Keys island chain postponed mandatory evacuations by a day after the storm's potential arrival was pushed back to next week.

In an executive order released late on Wednesday, Bush issued the emergency declaration, activating the state's national guard.

Although Wilma was relatively close to Florida on Thursday, as it approached Cozumel, Mexico, it was not expected to skirt the United States until next week.

Officials had expected it to reach the United States by the weekend.

Wilma would be the eighth hurricane to hit Florida in 14 months.

"Because of the foregoing conditions, I hereby find that Hurricane Wilma, alone and in combination with the destruction caused by Hurricane Rita, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Dennis and the 2004 hurricanes, threatens the state of Florida with a major disaster," said Bush in the executive order.

- AFP