Aug 16, 2008 7:23 pm US/Eastern
Keys: Tourists Evacuations Likely Sunday
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Residents in the Keys are battening down in preparation for Tropical Storm Fay, while tourists are being evacuated on Sunday.
Emergency officials in the Florida Keys say they expect to begin ordering the mandatory evacuation of tourists as early as 8 a.m. Sunday morning as Tropical Storm Fay draws closer to the chain of islands. Emergency officials may also order the evacuation of mobile home residents and people at risk of flooding.
Monroe County emergency officials held a conference call Saturday to discuss options as Fay churned in the Caribbean between Haiti and Cuba.
"We came down here with the Miami Ski Club for a nice Keys get-away... and now we have to evacuate in the morning," says visitor Barbara Russo. Russo's staying at the Tranquility Bay Resort in Marathon. The Ski Club is just one of many tour groups heading home Sunday morning. They're a perfect example of what people on vacation in the Keys have to deal with this time of year.
While families frolicking in the water and enjoying a beautiful day in the sun have to pack up and leave, people living there have starting their own precautions. Some are boarding up their homes already, while others are still getting around to it.
There is a possibility Fay could arrive in the Keys as a Category 1 storm. However, officials usually do not order a general evacuation of Keys residents until Category 3 storm approaches. At this time, most residents are not being ordered away from their homes.
The commercial airport in Key West will continue to operate through Monday, but Keys officials are urging people who plan to travel with big or boxy vehicles like RVs to have them out of the islands by Noon Monday. High winds may make it unsafe for high profile trucks and RVs to travel across the Keys bridges.
Emergency officials urged business owners to begin implementing hurricane plans.
There are no completely safe shelters in the Keys. The official shelter for Keys residents is on the mainland at Florida International University.
No announcement has been made about the shelter opening for tourists or for those Keys residents who want to leave on their own.
Monroe County Emergency Information: (800) 955-5504
Keys Tourism Help Line: (800) 771-KEYS
Monroe County Situation Report: www.monroecounty-fl.gov
National Hurricane Center Web site: www.nhc.noaa.gov
Monroe County Sheriff's Office: www.keysso.net
Keys Tourism Council: www.fla-keys.com
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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