Storms menace Florida, Caribbean

MIAMI – Florida was braced for a double impact as Hurricane Charley gained strength and Tropical Storm Bonnie was expected to make landfall yesterday accompanied by torrential rains and flash floods.

The twin storms put millions of people on alert in the Caribbean and on the Florida peninsula, and forced the evacuation of oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Charley had maximum sustained winds of 140 kph as it passed south of Jamaica and headed toward the Cayman Islands and Cuba, on a path expected to hit the low-lying Florida Keys by Friday, the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said.Hurricane warnings were issued for parts of the Keys and for the southwest Florida coast.”Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” the hurricane centre said.Hurricane warnings were also issued for Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and parts of western Cuba.Rainfall of up to 15 cm caused flooding and mudslides in some villages of eastern Jamaica, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.- Nampa-ReutersCharley had maximum sustained winds of 140 kph as it passed south of Jamaica and headed toward the Cayman Islands and Cuba, on a path expected to hit the low-lying Florida Keys by Friday, the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said.Hurricane warnings were issued for parts of the Keys and for the southwest Florida coast.”Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” the hurricane centre said.Hurricane warnings were also issued for Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and parts of western Cuba.Rainfall of up to 15 cm caused flooding and mudslides in some villages of eastern Jamaica, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.- Nampa-Reuters