Tropical Storm Fay hits Florida

2008-08-19 16:14

Florida - Tropical Storm Fay moved inland on Tuesday after making landfall in southwest Florida, bringing soaking rains and gusty winds but failing to reach the minimal hurricane status that had been predicted.

Streets were largely deserted in the early morning hours in Naples. Rain swept across desolate streets that were littered with palm fronds and other minor debris, and there was street flooding in spots but no immediate reports of storm surge damage.

As it moved though the Caribbean, Fay was blamed for at least 14 deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, including two babies who were found in a river after a bus crash.

With no major Florida hurricanes in the past two years, officials were worried complacency could cost lives as they repeatedly urged people across the state to take Fay seriously. But no storm-related deaths or injuries have been reported in the state.

At 08:00 EDT (1200 GMT), the storm's centre was located about 50km southeast of Fort Myers and was moving toward the northeast, with maximum winds of 97km/h expected to gradually weaken through the day.

Flooding remained a major concern as Fay heads up the Florida peninsula, with rainfall amounts forecast between 10 to 25 centimetres. The storm could also push tides one to 1½ metres above normal and spawn tornadoes.

Fay never achieved hurricane status, and most businesses opted to go without any shutters or other window protection.

In the Tampa Bay area, officials in three counties lifted evacuation orders affecting mobile home residents and others in vulnerable areas when the storm failed to reach hurricane status. But schools and government offices remained closed.

Florida Power & Light reported nearly 33 000 homes without power in South Florida early on Tuesday, the largest number in Collier County, where 12 500 were in the dark.

After crossing the Florida Keys without causing major damage on Monday, Fay lumbered ashore about 05:00 (09:00 GMT) on Tuesday at Cape Romano, just south of Naples, with sustained winds of about 97km/h. That's well below the hurricane threshold of 119km/h. Cape Romano is the same spot where Hurricane Wilma, a Category 3 storm, made landfall in October 2005.

- AP