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Hanna Expected To Pass, But Ike Might Hit Florida

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By NEIL JOHNSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 4, 2008

TAMPA - Florida is trading one threat for another.

Tropical Storm Hanna looks like it will pass to the east, but Hurricane Ike could be curving near Florida's southeast coast by early next week.

Ike's winds sped up to 135 mph Wednesday night, making the season's fifth hurricane a Category 4 as it moved toward the Bahamas.

The National Hurricane Center put the southeast tip of Florida in the cone of possible strike areas by Monday afternoon.

"It will be approaching the Bahamas by Sunday," said Ben Nelson, state meteorologist.

Ike's growing threat to Florida replaces that of Hanna.

Tropical Storm Hanna stopped wandering around Haiti and the southern Bahamas and began the move north that will take the storm toward the Georgia or South Carolina coast Friday night or early Saturday morning.

Forecasters said Hanna could reach hurricane strength - with winds of about 80 mph - before landfall.

It is not likely that winds on the weaker western side of Hanna will stretch enough to reach the Tampa Bay area, Nelson said. It is possible that tropical storm winds could brush the state's east coast.

As for Tropical Storm Josephine, forecasts have the storm weakening to a tropical depression by the weekend. Its track after that is highly uncertain, the hurricane center said.

Hanna was the third storm in less than three weeks to batter Haiti.

The storms ruined crops and killed at least 126 people.

"If we keep going like this, the whole country is going to crash," moaned Mario Marcelus of Gonaives, Haiti's fourth largest city.

In New Orleans, thousands of people who fled Hurricane Gustav forced the city to reluctantly open its doors Wednesday. But nearly 1.2 million homes and businesses in Louisiana were still without power.

Faced with traffic backups on paths into New Orleans, Mayor Ray Nagin gave up checking identification badges and automobile placards designed to keep residents out until early today.

"People need to get home, need to get their houses straight and get back to work," said George Johnson, who used back roads to sneak into the city.

President Bush viewed toppled trees and downed power lines in Louisiana and declared that the government's response to Hurricane Gustav was "excellent" - much better than during Katrina.

"But the people here understand that there is more work to be done," he said.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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