Visitors urged to leave Florida Keys ahead of Fay by Michaela Vargova

KEY WEST, Florida – Tropical Storm Fay - the sixth storm of the 2008 Atlantic season, threatened to strengthen into a hurricane by the time it crossed Cuba and start pelting the Keys. Unfortunately, Fay has already killed at least five people during its weekend bluster on Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Fay could begin approachig parts of the Keys and South Florida late today or early tomorrow as a strong tropical storm or minimal hurricane. Beside wind damage, the possibility of another threat appears – flooding. It is due to most of the islands is sat at sea level and so arise possible risiko of some flooding from Fay's storm surge.
Officials in the Key had issued an evacuation order for visitors and asked those who had not yet arrived to postpone their trips. Also people who live in low-lying areas and on boats had been ordered to leave as the storm threatened to strengthen into a hurricane Sunday.
Inspite of the fact that it is expected the storm to start moving to the north along the western coast of Florida, forecasters still didn't know exactly where it would make landfall.
The last serious bluster affected Key West in 2005, when hurricane Wilma of Category 3 sped across. That time the town escaped greater wind damage, but hundreds of homes were flooded by a storm surge. The deadliest storm that has ever hit the island was of the Category 4 hurricane in 1919 which killed about 900 people. Another strong hurricane that passed throug the area, named the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, was of the Category 5 and killed more than 400 people.

by Michaela Vargova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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