Hurricane Katrina

MIAMI (Reuters) - Hurricane Katrina hammered Florida's crowded southeast coast with hours of buffeting winds and whipping rains, pitching 2 million people into darkness as power lines came down and killing two.

The storm, which was supposed to be a minimal hurricane but nevertheless delivered a fierce punch, weakened slightly over the swampy Everglades on Friday, but in its wake it left flooded neighborhoods and streets carpeted with tree limbs and leaves.

Katrina dumped up to 12 inches (30.5 cm) of rain after coming ashore just south of Fort Lauderdale and then began a slow and punishing trek southwest across southern Florida, said the U.S. National Hurricane Centre in Miami.

Two men were killed in Fort Lauderdale and the city of Plantation to the west by falling trees, said Broward County public information officer Dennis Myers. WFOR television said the first man died when the tree brought a power line down onto his car.

'This is going to be a long night for Miami-Dade and Broward counties,' hurricane centre director Max Mayfield told CNN.

While Katrina was expected to weaken over land, Mayfield warned it would restrengthen again once it emerged over warm Gulf of Mexico waters and could loop north to slam into the hurricane-scarred Florida Panhandle as a much more powerful hurricane. The area was hit in July by Hurricane Dennis and last September by Hurricane Ivan.

Florida Power and Light Co., the main electricity company in the area, said more than 1 million customers, representing more than 2 million people, were without power and that number was bound to rise.

Katrina made landfall at about 7 p.m. EDT (12:00 a.m. British time) on Thursday between Hallandale Beach and North Miami Beach with sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph), the hurricane centre said. By early on Friday, as it moved west of Miami, the winds had eased to 75 mph, the centre said.

Have been keeping track on this on CNN, it must be pretty scary out there in Miami. Is anyone in Orlando just now and how is it?

Hope everyone is ok, and stay safe.

I was just talking to someone who lives where it hit....and they said it was not that bad.....I'd not watch the news to get info..... use noaa.....they are trying out a new system......and its upgrading the storms earier than before.....thats one of the reasons we seem to have had so many this year....the info you get there is just that....the info you need......not people trying to scare everyone.....which is really being to get to me when watching the weather station or even reading weather bug news......

On its way through the Gulf over the warm water Katrina could become stronger.....so its still worth watching if you're going to FL or the Southern States in the next few days.......

I'm keeping an eye on the next one......which could be nearer land just as we leave here for FL.....

Up near the 27 we get bands of heavy rain passing through, but between there is sunshine and some wind.
Yesterday was mainly sunny, but cloud and rain forecast for the weekend

just watching on the news! so awful Katrina!!!!!! wrecked New Orleans! poor people! how has florida faired???????????

The pictures on the news last night and this morning were just awful.
My heart goes out to all those people who have lost everything
[grouphug]

It really is hard sometimes to believe the force of Mother Nature isn't it?

i spoke to Tricia yesterday shes in florida (southsider) and she said weather was lovely, the rain was the "normal" 15 minute showers!!
phew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is awful looking at all the pictures of the devastation. You just don't realise how powerful mother nature is.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by domster
Is awful looking at all the pictures of the devastation. You just don't realise how powerful mother nature is.
[/quote]

They have been so lucky up until now...but with all the building on wetland and lowland it was just waiting to happen.........

I feel for all the poor who had no means to leave the Cities..........

I agree with all of you, but isn't it a pity that a handful of 'low lifes' can go around looting at a time like this - and they will be the ones shouting for more aid etc.

It is inevitable that it will have a knock-on effect for villas being built, but I am prepared to wait, I would rather see someone with a roof over their heads after they have been through so much.