Hurricane Info

Keys Officials: Evacuation Was 'Right Decision'

County Ends Evacuation Order For Those Who Ignored Mandatory Evacuation

Residents Who Did Evacuate Told To Remain Out Of Keys

KEY WEST (CBS4) ― Florida Keys officials say they have no regrets about ordering a county-wide evacuation, even though the threat to the Keys of Hurricane Ike lessens by the hour. The evacuation order officially ended this morning, but residents who evacuated are being told to remain out of the Keys. Monroe County officials expect much of the Keys to be facing tropical-storm force winds and heavy rains late Monday and early Tuesday.

"All the criteria was looked at, and there's no doubt the criteria supported making that decision," Key West city administrator Jim School said Monday about the decision to evacuate the county. "We'll always be happy to be lucky and have conditions change that minimize the impact."

White it appears the Keys may now escape the worst Hurricane Ike has to offer, at a mid-morning briefing Monday city and county officials agreed that now is not the time to lift evacuation orders and allow residents to return home.

Schools and government offices remain closed, and the two hospitals in the Keys are not accepting new patients until the evacuation order is lifted. Officials say that will limit emergency response by police and paramedics, and remains one major reasons evacuated residents should stay out of the Keys.

"Even though the forecast has improved, and we are expecting less of an impact, we still are in a situation where we're not 'normal', and people have to understand there's an element of risk here," Scholl said. "We'll let people return as soon as it's safe to do so."

Keys officials said that would come only after the tropical weather has passed and the 'all clear' is sounded. Emergency crew would then check for road washouts, downed powerlines, and other major damage. Only when those crews say it's safe would residents be given the OK to return.

Roman Gastesi, Monroe County Administrator, said the expected tropical storm winds are the wildcard in official decision about allowing residents to return. Until their effects are know, he said Monday, there simply is no way to know when the evacuation order can be lifted.

"Just a couple of days ago, we had a category 4 coming right up the 7 mile bridge," Gastesi said. "Absolutely, we did what we had to do, there's no doubt about it."

The evacuation decision is especially frustrating for Keys officials because returning tourists to leave for the second time in a week has decimated business in this mostly resort economy.  The county estimates each visitor spends about $175 a day in the Keys, and well over 25 thousand visitors were asked to leave. They estimate about $3 million a day is being lost due to the evacuation, which came during a slow week.

Up and down Duval streets, popular tourist spots are shuttered, awaiting first Ike and then the return of the tourists who fuel the Keys economy.

While virtually all of the Keys tourists left as requested, the county was less successful getting residents to leave after the mandatory evacuation was called. County mayor Mario Di Gennaro admitted that frustrated him.

"When we declare a mandatory evacuation, I'm discouraged if one person stays here. A mandatory evacuation means you should leave," he said. He pointed out how much damage had been done to the Bahamas, Haiti, and other islands in Ike's path, and the damage expected to be done in Cuba by the strong storm the Keys expected. "We're very sad about Cuba, they were hurt bad, their people taking the brunt of the Hurricane, which helps us."

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