US/HURRICANE CHARLEY: More than one million people in the path of Hurricane Charley were urged to flee yesterday as the west coast of Florida braced itself for the arrival of potentially the most powerful storm for nearly 50 years, Duncan Campbell in Orlando
The hurricane yesterday became a Category 4 storm, the second highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity, with winds of about 233 k.p.h. the US National Hurricane Centre said.
Tens of thousands were believed to have evacuated the Tampa area as the hurricane reached speeds of nearly 140 m.p.h.
"This is one of God's most powerful forces," the state governor, Mr Jeb Bush, told a press conference. Having declared a state of emergency, he urged people to leave the threatened areas in Tampa, St Petersburg and Clearwater, all popular holiday destinations.
The people most vulnerable to hurricanes, those living in mobile homes and trailer parks, were urged to anchor their vehicles and take up one of the more than 70,000 places in shelters that had been made available. "It does have the potential for a devastating impact," said Mr Bush. "This is a scary, scary thing."
Before reaching Cuba yesterday, where it did little damage, Charley claimed its first life in Jamaica.
A farmer, Mr Byron Barret, was killed in the St Elizabeth parish while trying to rescue people from flooding.
Since the middle of the week, Florida has been anticipating the hurricane's arrival; at first it was with the characteristic nonchalance born of years of regular visits from tropical storms but, later, trepidation began to set in.
Resort hotels on the seafront in St Petersburg told guests to get out of town fast, handing them letters which urged them: "Please stay calm . . . please stay safe!"
The main highways were clogged with traffic and stores were running out of plywood as people boarded up windows and doors.