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President Declares Fay A Disaster For Florida

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 24, 2008

Updated: 08/24/2008 05:25 pm

TAMPA - President Bush has declared four Florida counties disaster areas, opening the way for federal aid.

The declaration covers Brevard, Monroe, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties.

The declaration allows the state and local governments to apply for reimbursement of expensed such as debris removal and clean-up from Fay. It is not for individuals.

As the state slowly dries out after the soaking from Tropical Storm Fay, Florida emergency management officials are watching rivers in north Florida.

A number of rivers could see flooding that could range from minor to severe from rain Fay dumped over the Panhandle and in southern Georgia, said state meteorologist Ben Nelson at a news conference in Tallahassee.

It will take days, or possibly weeks to tell if the St. Johns River will flood as rainfall works its way through the lakes and tributaries feeding the river, he said.

But continuing rain on the state's east coast forced the evacuation of 180 homes in low lying areas of southwest Volusia County. Water in lakes and retention ponds in De Bary continue to rise and more rain was expected through the night.

For the Tampa Bay area, the lingering effects of Fay should be gone by today and allow a return to more normal afternoon thunderstorms.

The National Weather Service said there is a 40 percent chance for thunderstorms across the region. Storms that form are likely to move from the south to north.

The storm that wouldn't leave Florida is now a tropical depression that seems bound for eastern Louisiana.

Early Sunday morning, Fay was north of Mobile, Ala., the National Hurricane Center said in its final advisory for Fay. The depression was moving west northwest at 8 mph, but the storm could stall Monday.

In its sodden wake, Fay will be remembered for its tenacity, four landfalls in Florida and the prodigious amount of rain it brought.

The state Division of Emergency Management has tallied an early toll from Fay.

The storm killed 11 people in Florida and injured another five. One fatality has been reported in Georgia.

It is too early to estimate the cost of Fay, but the storm damaged or destroyed 1,075 homes, along with eight businesses. As of this morning, more than 40,600 utility customers were without power and 141 people remained in shelters around the state.

Responding to Fay cost the state Division of Emergency Management $7 million. That does not include costs incurred by individual county and city governments.

As Fay slowly heads away from Florida, the stubborn storm becomes the problem of other states.

Forecasters say the storm could continue to dump 6 to 12 inches of rain from the Florida Panhandle to eastern Louisiana through the next several days.

As a tropical storm, Fay set a record by making four landfalls in Florida.

The U.S. Coast Guard in Mobile closed numerous ports and waterways between Panama City in Florida and the Alabama coast to the east.

In Alabama, Gov. Bob Riley declared a state of emergency, and officials opened shelters Saturday in the coastal counties of Mobile and Baldwin. Trucks capable of rescuing people from floodwaters were also in place. Utility officials said thousands of people lost power.

In the New Orleans area, which is approaching the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, forecasts called for several inches of rain. In St. Bernard Parish, site of some of the worst post-Katrina flooding, emergency officials were handing out sandbags Saturday.

Officials in Slidell, La., said emergency vehicles had been fueled, and workers were on call.
Sandbags were also distributed in Ocean Springs, Gulfport and Biloxi on the Mississippi coast. The Air Force Reserve's 403rd Wing evacuated aircraft Saturday from Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi to locations in South Florida and Texas. The 403rd includes "hurricane hunter" planes that officials said would be available to continue to monitor Fay.

The Gulf Islands National Seashore closed a campground area and four barrier islands to the public.
Fay's center made its fourth landfall early Saturday, about 15 miles north-northeast of Apalachicola, according to the hurricane center.

Rains and strong wind gusts blitzed Tallahassee for more than 24 hours, knocking down trees and power lines and cutting electricity to more than 12,000 customers.

In southwest Georgia, officials said a boy drowned Saturday while playing in a drainage ditch swollen by 10 to 12 inches of rain.

His death brings the toll from Fay to at least 35. A total of 23 died in Haiti and the Dominican Republic from flooding.

Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation reported Saturday that roughly 6,700 homeowners filed claims, although only some were because of flooding.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report. Contact Neil Johnson at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com.

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