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Hurricane Dennis Leaves Five Dead In US, 23 In Caribbean
Pensacola FL (AFP) Jul 12, 2005 Storm-weary US Gulf coast residents started mopping up Monday in the wake of Hurricane Dennis, which left five dead in two US southern states and another 23 in the Caribbean. Thousands of people who had evacuated the area returned to gas shortages, rotting food, sweltering heat and badly damaged buildings. Trees, fallen branches and chunks of roofing and signage littered the streets and authorities said it would be days - or even weeks - until power was fully restored. Caravans of police and national guardsmen escorted utility trucks through the most damaged areas while otherwise quiet suburbs buzzed with the sounds of chainsaws and gas-powered generators. Long lines formed at the few hardware stores which had managed to reopen and many had to drive miles for food, ice and gasoline. Florida's emergency division chief, Craig Fugate, said Dennis, the first Atlantic hurricane this year, appeared to have caused far less damage than expected, but insisted that didn't mean residents were spared the fury of the storm. "The term 'dodged the bullet' for someone who has just got flooded, had a tree fall on their house or is without power is a poor description," Fugate said. Hurricane Dennis is estimated to have caused one billion to five billion dollars in insured losses, according to Risk Management Solutions. Following the track of devastation wrought by Hurricane Ivan last year, Dennis slammed ashore Sunday afternoon near Pensacola as a powerful category-three hurricane and made its way inland, where it fizzled out into a tropical depression. But because it was a fairly compact and swift-moving storm, Dennis caused far less damage than feared in the United States. "It was mild except for about 45 minutes when it got really scary," said Buddy Williams, 39, whose Pensacola home escaped without major damage. Retired salesman Ray Dunlap was not as lucky. He lost several trees, shingles off his roof and part of his fence. And he is still fighting with his insurance company to finish repairs from the last hurricane. "Maybe it's our time," he said stoically. "Instead of being skirted maybe Pensacola is the target." The death toll was significantly lower than that brought by Hurricane Ivan, which killed 30 in the coastal United States. A married couple and the mother of one of the two died near Punta Gorda in southwest Florida late Sunday when their car overturned and fell into a ditch filled with water, police said. The bodies were found inside the car. A man died in Fort Lauderdale, in southeast Florida, when he was electrocuted by a fallen cable. Another man died in Georgia when a tree fell on his home in Decatur near Atlanta, authorities said. Emergency teams and several thousand national guard troops deployed across the affected area, mostly in northwestern Florida, to remove trees and debris, restore power and hand out emergency supplies. US President George W. Bush Sunday declared Florida, Alabama and Mississippi disaster areas, which makes them immediately eligible for federal emergency aid. Before the hurricane struck, authorities had ordered 1.5 million people to evacuate coastal areas ranging from western Florida to New Orleans, Louisiana. Oil rigs and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico had been evacuated ahead of the storm, and several airports were closed. In Cuba, President Fidel Castro said the death toll had risen to 11. Earlier, he said the hurricane temporarily displaced another 1.5 million as it crossed the island. In Haiti, which is still recovering from devastation wrought last year by Hurricane Jeanne, Dennis left at least 11 people dead. In Jamaica, a man died when he was washed away in flood waters. The Caribbean braced for more stormy weather as a tropical depression that could eventually strengthen into a full hurricane moved over the Atlantic toward Martinique. NASA also has been keeping a close eye on the weather, but said it would go ahead with Wednesday's planned liftoff of Discovery, the first US space shuttle launch since flights were grounded after the February 2003 Columbia disaster. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters When the Earth Quakes A world of storm and tempest
New Orleans Colleges To Reopen This Week
New Orleans, Louisiana (AFP) Jan 05, 2006Thousands of students and faculty are returning to New Orleans' eight colleges and universities this week for the first time since hurricane Katrina flooded the city four months ago. |
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