The US state of Florida is bracing itself for the arrival of a hurricane – the second in a month – with hundreds of thousands of people being evacuated from their homes.
Forecasters say Hurricane Frances, which has already caused chaos in the Turks and Caicos islands, will probably arrive in Florida on Friday night after it hits the Bahamas today.
The Independent newspaper quotes a meteorologist from the National Hurricane Centre, in Miami, as saying: “This is still a huge threat to the south-east coast. All indications for now are that Florida is the prime candidate,” while the Sky News website quotes a local fire chief as stating: “If we get through this without any loss of life, it will be a miracle.”
Miami-based cruise lines are reviewing Caribbean itineraries to ensure ships avoid the path of the hurricane.
Royal Caribbean International/Celebrity Cruises president and chief operating officer Jack Williams warned: “This is a massive storm that has the potential to affect a significant area of our operational theatre. Throughout the week we have been gearing up for any eventuality to ensure that our guests are able to enjoy their vacations well out of harm’s way.”
The company has altered the itinerararies of six Royal Caribbean ships. No Celebrity vessels have so far been affected but the company has established an incident response centre to moniter the progress of the hurricane.
Hurricane Charley, which hit the state just a few weeks ago, killed 27 people, flattened some 30,000 homes and caused damage worth an estimated $7 billion.
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd
