1 mln ordered to evacuate as hurricane threatens Florida

Officials in the southeastern US state of Florida on Thursday warned about a million residents and tourists to get out of the way of Hurricane Charley, which has brewed off the coast of Cuba and threatened to strengthen, possibly within the next 24 hours, media reports said.

The evacuation zone stretched along Florida's west coast from Key West to north of Tampa.

The storm was expected to pass west of the Keys at Florida's tip early Friday before hitting the Tampa Bay area in the afternoon with winds up to 180 km per hour, heavy rain, sporadic tornadoes and the dangerous storm surge, the reports quoted Hugh Cobb, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, as saying. "Residents who choose to stay during this hurricane should keep a close eye on this storm," the authorities said in a statement. "It is intensifying and is expected to continue intensifying as it approaches the Keys. Everyone should finish up securing homes and property and anyone planning to leave the Keys should do immediately."

The Florida Keys, the string of islands that begins south of Miami and extends to Key West, is one of Florida's chief attractions for the legions of tourists who come to South Florida for its balmy climate and proximity to the Caribbean.

Florida, with 15 million people, is often pummeled by strong hurricanes, and residents have been through the evacuation drill before, nailing boards over windows and stowing water and food.

In addition to Hurricane Charley, a tropical storm warning for the storm that was dubbed Bonnie remains in effect from east of Apalachicola to the mouth of the Suwannee river, the National Weather Service said.

Source: Xinhua