Hurricane Charley

[Seminole]

If you are planning to travel to Florida in the next three days, you need to check on the status of all of your arrangements with the airlines and accomodations. Florida Governor Jeb Bush has issued a State of Emergency due to the approach of Hurricane Charley. The hurricane, which is now near Jamaica, is expected to be near Florida's southwest coast on Friday morning and is expected to make landfall somewhere between Tampa and Ft. Myers with hurricane force winds. The hurricane is expected to cross Central Florida sometime late Friday and of course, air travel will be disrupted. State emergency officials have ordered the evacuation of tourists and visitors from Key West and the lower Keys. If you are planning to drive into Florida from another location, you may need to delay your travel plans. Everyone should closely monitor the progress of this hurricane over the next two days.

Im out in Florida at the moment and watching the news closely, here's what they are saying on bay News 9, go to................

http://www.baynews9.com/content/74/2004/8/11/51858.html

Lucy

[bellaepovera]

Bonnie seems to be going to the Panhandle up north..Charlie should be hitting Tampa area and slowing down once it reaches central Florida as it always does on land, but rest assure lots of rain and very windy..Guess I will be heading to see a few movies at the theater the next 2 days.

[Seminole]

Charley is now a category two hurricane with winds of 105mph/165kph. The National Weather Service predicts that when the storm clears Cuba it will continue to strengthen to "major hurricane" or category 3 status with minimum winds of 115mph.

State Emergency officials have ordered the immediate evacuation of 380,000 residents living in at-risk areas in the Tampa Bay area.