Wilma forces Caribbean tourists to flee (AP) Updated: 2005-10-20 12:56
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras - Hurricane Wilma rapidly strengthened into one of
the Americas' most intense storms ever and lashed Caribbean coastlines
Wednesday, forcing tourists to flee as it threatened to slam into Cancun and
southern Florida.
Workers cover
storefront windows with wood in Playa del Carmen in the Yucatan peninsula,
Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2005. Hurricane Wilma rapidly strengthened
into one of the Americas' most intense storms ever and lashed Caribbean
coastlines Wednesday, forcing tourists to flee as it threatened to slam
into Cancun and southern Florida. [AP] | Wilma
briefly grew into a monstrous Category 5 storm before weakening to a Category 4
Wednesday night. The storm forced thousands of people to evacuate low-lying
areas in a 600-mile swath covering Cuba, Belize, Honduras, Jamaica, Haiti and
the Cayman Islands, officials said.
At least 13 deaths have been blamed on Wilma this week, including a man who
drowned Wednesday while trying to cross a river that overflowed its banks in
southern Haiti.
Forecasters said Wilma has the potential to make an extremely damaging impact
in a season that has already seen devastation from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
With its center still over open water, the storm's sustained winds were near 155
mph Wednesday night, down from 175 mph earlier in the day.
The National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield said Wilma could reach
the Florida Keys Saturday, possibly toward the evening. Visitors were ordered
out of the Florida Keys even as schools closed.
The White House, stung by criticism that it had not responded quickly enough
to Katrina, promised to stay on top of the situation. "We are closely monitoring
what is an extremely dangerous storm," said White House spokesman Scott
McClellan. "People should take this hurricane very seriously."
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