Sep 7, 2008 1:04 am US/Eastern
Keys Evacuation Underway, Schools Closed
Schools Closed Monday and Tuesday
All County Offices Closed
See Video For The Complete 10:30 News Conference
KEY WEST (CBS4) ―
The National Hurricane Center has placed the Florida Keys on a hurricane watch from Ocean Reef to Key West as residents of the island chain started to pack up and leave under a mandatory evacuation order issued by Monroe County officials. The phased evacuation of the Keys began at 8 a.m. Sunday, as Hurricane Ike moves into the neighborhood.
Schools and county offices will be closed Monday and Tuesday, and all residents from Key West to Key Largo have been told to leave and find shelter on the mainland. Not everyone is heeding the order, and county officials warned Sunday if they find themselves stranded and in trouble, there will be no help for them.
That decision to evacuate residents follows Saturday's evacuation of all tourists from the Keys as the dangerous Category 4 hurricane closes in on the chain of islands.
CBS4's Ted Scouten, Reporting from Key West, said Keys officials made their decision shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday after seeing the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center. They had hoped to cancel plans to evacuate the islands as the path of Ike moved the storm further from South Florida, but in the end decided to err on the side of caution and order residents to get out.
"It's Frustrating. It's Expensive," Key west Mayor Morgan McPherson told CBS4's Scouten. "But in the end, safety is our primary concern."
The mandatory evacuation means there will be no shelter available in the Keys. The official shelter for Keys residents is in west Miami-Date at the FIU campus, and any residents who remain behind are being told they will be responsible foe their own safety.
While the tourist evacuation of the Keys Saturday covered the entire chain, Sunday's resident evacuations will be carried out in a staged manner.
Residents of Key West and the lower Keys were asked to leave starting at 8 a.m. Sunday. People who live in the Middle Keys and the Marathon waited until noon, and residents of the Upper Keys, who have the least distance to travel to safety, are asked to evacuate staring at 4 p.m.
Tolls northbound on the Florida Turnpike, the Sawgrass Expressway, and Alligator Alley have been lifted to ease evacuation. Tolls have also been lifted on the Card Sound Road bridge.
The Snake Creek drawbridge in Islamorada and the drawbridge at Jewfish Creek in Key Largo will no longer open for boat traffic to avoid any traffic delays.
Residents who don't have transportation will be able to take shuttle buses to the mainland.
Keys hospital emergency rooms are to remain open until 7 a.m. Monday. They may remain open longer if there are enough personnel to man them.
The last commercial airline flight out of the Key West Airport is at 7 p.m. Sunday and there are still a few seats available. Rental car facilities are to remain open until 10 p.m. The Key West airfield, as well as the airfield at Florida Keys Marathon Airport, is to remain open for general aviation traffic until noon Monday.
There are still rental cars available at the Key West airport. They are to remain open for rentals as long as cars are available, or until the terminal closes at 10 p.m. Sunday.
Postal Service is closed and there is no access to post office boxes.
Emergency officials are urging Keys residents not to ignore the evacuation order. Should the Keys see hurricane force winds, bridges will be closed and residents will not be allowed to leave until the storm has passed.
Tourists should already be gone. Their evacuation order is still in effect. Some of the lucky were able to catch a flight out. "Of course the hurricane's coming in, so we were told to evacuate. So we're getting a flight out, we'd like to stay longer, but we couldn't take a chance," said tourist Jeanette Mormon.
Based on the storm's current projected track, the Key West National Weather Service forecasts tropical storm force winds should begin impacting the Keys early Tuesday morning and lasting until late night Tuesday, or early Wednesday morning.
ADDITIONAL HELP AND RESOURCES
Keys Visitors Assistance: (800) 771-KEYS
Visit Florida Hotel Hotline: (800) 287-8598
Monroe County Emergency Information: (800) 955-5504
Monroe County Situation Report: www.monroecounty-fl.gov
Monroe County Sheriff's Office: www.keysso.net
County Public Access Television: Channel 76 on Comcast Cable
Key West Weather: www.weather.gov/keywest
National Hurricane Center Web site: www.nhc.noaa.gov
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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