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7 Florida Deaths Blamed On Fay As It Heads West

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TBO.com

Published: August 22, 2008

Updated: 08/22/2008 04:48 pm

TAMPA - Tropical Storm Fay hobbled across northern Florida today as the state's death toll related to the storm rose to seven. The storm, which has never reached hurricane status, nevertheless dumped huge amounts of rain in some parts of Florida, particularly the low-lying central Atlantic coast regions.

Along the northern peninsula, the storm uncorked 4 to 8 inches of rain, as it slowly moved westward.

Tropical storm and flood warnings were in effect for Hernando, Citrus and Levy counties, where emergency officials kept a close eye on rain and flood conditions. In The Tampa Bay area, rain drizzled off and on for most of the day. Wind gusts of up to 35 mph were noted along the Gulf Coast.

At 2 p.m. today, Fay's center was about 40 miles north northeast of Cedar Key. It was moving west about 4 mph with maximum sustained winds near 45 mph. The storm was forecast to gradually weaken as it travels across the state's northern peninsula and into the Panhandle over the next two days.

"We're getting a lot of rain," Levy sheriff's Lt. Evan Sullivan said this morning.

Winds of up to 50 mph buffeted Cedar Key, he said, but by midmorning, flooding was not a major concern, although the airport at Cedar Key was closed because it is in a low lying area and is prone to flooding.

"We did close our schools today," he said, but government offices remained open.

The rain "comes in with the bands," Sullivan said. "It comes in sheets and buckets and then lightens up. We had a lot of wind throughout the night. There were some trees down, but there were no injuries.

"We're weathering it," he said, "asking people to use good common sense."

In Citrus County, a local state of emergency has been declared. Government offices were closed for today, and shelters were to be opened by 4 p.m., although no evacuations had been announced. Inverness is keeping city offices open.

Public schools in Levy, Citrus and Sumter counties were closed. Hernando's remained open.

Citrus sheriff's spokeswoman Heather Yates said some roads there had been closed due to standing water throughout the day.

"We are getting a lot of rain, and some streets are experiencing some very minor flooding," Yates said. "It's windy, but it's not like we blowing off the road."

In Crystal River, Carla Stalcup said the waters started to rise this morning.

"After about 9 this morning you couldn't tell where the river ended and the road began," she said. "It was water nonstop all the way through and it receded about 11 and we have just been trying to get as much of the water out as we can until the next high tide. We're probably fighting a losing battle, but we're going to give it our best shot and try and stop some of it. Lay as many sand bags as we can and try to stop some of it and save ourselves a little bit of work for tomorrow."

Tom Dymond thought the worst was yet to come.

"It came up about 2 feet past flood stage today," he said. "We've got another round to go through tonight. Nothing else to do. We've got sand bags out, we've done everything we can do and all we can do is wait."

Residents along the Hernando County's coastline were expected to see some flooding throughout the day until the 7 p.m. high tide, county spokeswoman Brenda Frazier said in an advisory issued this morning.

High tides along the Gulf could be 3 to 5 feet above normal.

A small craft advisory was in effect all day up and down the coast and residents living near streams or creeks or in flood-prone areas should take action to protect their property and be prepared to move to higher ground.

Hernando County Emergency Management officials said there was some reports of flooding in the low-lying areas on both sides of the county and some streets had been closed.

The tropical storm warning was issued from Hernando County to Destin, and a tropical storm watch was in effect from Destin west to the Alabama-Mississippi border. The warning also runs from Flagler Beach north to the Georgia-South Carolina border on the Atlantic coast.

Isolated tornadoes were a possibility in parts of northeastern Florida, southeastern Georgia and southern South Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said.

Fay is also brought some rain and wind to the Bay area, said John McMichael, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Ruskin. "It's going to be a cloudy day and a chance for thunderstorms. There's a 70 percent chance of rain, heavy at times."

The National Hurricane Center said tropical storm winds may extend 140 miles from Fay's center.

The storm has vexing the state since Monday. Over the past two days, Fay dumped more than 2 feet of rain along parts of Florida's low-lying central Atlantic coast. It is just the fourth storm to make landfall in Florida three separate times, and the first in nearly 50 years.

The rain has swelled the Peace River near Arcadia, prompting a river flood warning in DeSoto County this morning.

According to an advisory, the river was cresting at 9.6 feet above sea level near Arcadia on Friday morning. Flood stage is 11 feet. The river is expected to reach flood stage Saturday night and continue to rise until early Sunday morning.

In Gainesville, hurricane shelters were open while schools and government buildings were closed. But some people were unimpressed by the storm, including David Phillips, 50, who said he and his 15-year-old son drove around looking for damage.

"I don't know why schools are closed. It's ridiculous," he said. "We saw a couple limbs down but nothing else."

Daniel Wagner, 18, said he rode his bike through the rain for about a half-mile to run errands. He said he wasn't worried about the storm picking up. "If I was," he said, "I wouldn't be riding my bike."

President Bush issued a federal disaster declaration Thursday for the affected parts of Florida, as hundreds of residents fled floodwaters that drove alligators and snakes out of their habitats and into streets.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is warning Floridians not to attempt to rescue wild animals or interact with wildlife in the wake of Tropical Storm Fay.

The commission said the displaced wild animals should return to their natural habitats once the water recedes.

"Other animals, such as young rabbits, raccoons and opossums also are being scattered by flooding," said a commission advisory issued this afternoon, and officers say people should "not attempt to rescue them, because the animals are stressed and are likely to bite or scratch would-be rescuers.

"Although the storm may claim some individual animals," the advisory said, "Florida's wildlife has adapted over time to extreme weather and the wildlife populations will recover."

State officials tallied storm casualties today. There were two storm-related traffic deaths Wednesday, one in Indian River County and the other in Duval County, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey said in Tallahassee.

"On the 21st we had three fatalities. Two of those were swimming-related accidents -- both of them women swimming in high surf -- and then the last one was in Duval -- another traffic-related accident."

One of the drowning victims was in waist-deep water in the Atlantic Ocean off Duval County, where she was pulled under water and did not resurface for 10 minutes. There were strong undercurrents attributed to Fay. The other drowning victim, in Volusia, also was in waist-deep water and pulled under by heavy surf.

In Indian River County, a traffic death occurred Wednesday when a motorist hydroplaned and lost control of his vehicle as he approached an intersection, according to FDLE. The other accident Wednesday, in Duval, occurred when a 16-year-old girl's vehicle spun out of control and was struck by a sport utility vehicle.

The first Florida fatality, carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator being used indoors, occurred in Highlands County, where the medical examiner received the body Aug. 16.

Fay has claimed its seventh Florida victim, Gov. Charlie Crist announced today from the state Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. The fatality resulted from a vehicle accident in Nassau County, said Crist, who received word of the death this afternoon.

With Fay expected to languish in North Florida, dumping as much as 10 inches or more through the weekend, Crist said he has asked President Bush for additional federal relief. "I've sent a letter to the White House requesting a major presidential declaration for emergency federal aid this afternoon. This would provide financial help for our federal Floridians."

. According to Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty, several thousand homes in Florida have experienced flooding; a more exact tally of the damage is pending.

Additionally, the state Agency for Workforce Innovation has requested an expedited grant of $20 million from the U.S. Department of Labor, AWI director Monesia Brown said. The grant would provide funding to distribute food, water and other humanitarian aid, as well as create an emergency jobs program for local citizens to help in clearing of debris and other cleanup. It would also provide disaster assistance grants of up to $5,000 to businesses.

Overall, the storm has been blamed for 28 deaths, mostly in the Caribbean.

Driving conditions on interstate highways in north Florida were difficult enough in a car, but Jim Frazier and Deb Fairchild were crossing the state on a motorcycle trying to get back to Illinois after a week in Daytona Beach.

"It's pretty brutal," said Frazier, 47, of Danville, Ill., adding the high winds have caused him to swerve several times on the highway.

Emergency officials planned to begin surveying damage along the coast today as the floodwaters were expected to slowly recede. In Brevard and St. Lucie counties, residents welcomed the sight of muddy brown water lines on homes — signifying the receding of flood waters.

This morning, officials in Melbourne carried boats down streets where just a day earlier 4 feet of water made roads look like rivers. About 150 people in Brevard County were evacuated by authorities; 100 others left their homes voluntarily.

In Duval County, four key bridges spanning the St. John's River were closed through the night because of high winds. That included two downtown bridges and the eight-lane Buckman Bridge connecting Mandarin and Orange Park.

Power outages plagued the area. As of 6:15 a.m. Friday, Jacksonville Electric Authority reported 66,000 customers without power.

Flooding was especially acute along Florida's Atlantic coast from Port St. Lucie to Cape Canaveral, with water reaching depths of 5 feet and more in some neighborhoods.

"This is the worst I've absolutely ever seen it," said Mike White, 57, after he was rescued by the National Guard from floodwaters lapping at the doorstep of his mobile home.

In Neptune Beach on Thursday, police said an Indiana tourist drowned after going swimming in a rough ocean churned up by the storm. To the south in Volusia County, authorities said Fatmira Krkuti, 35, of Brooklyn, N.Y., also drowned in Fay-generated waves.

Brevard County officials gave a preliminary damage estimate of $12 million in Melbourne, mostly from flooding, and $2.6 million from beach erosion.

The National Weather Service said southern Georgia could see some flooding from 5 to 10 inches of rain.

Information from Tribune reporters Keith Morelli and Catherine Dolinski, WFLA reporter Jeff Patterson and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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