Hurricane Relief Efforts

Dangerous Hurricane Frances Bears Down on U.S. Mainland

Written by Bonnie Gillespie, Staff Writer 
and Photographer, RedCross.org

Thursday, September 02, 2004 — Almost one million people in Florida were urged to leave their homes as Hurricane Frances heads toward the U.S. coast. 

Once a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 145 mph, Frances was downgraded to a Category 3 storm Thursday night, but with winds of 120 mph, it is still a very dangerous storm. 

The width is still four times larger than its deadly predecessor, Hurricane Charley. Slow-moving Frances is now expected to hit Florida Saturday afternoon or evening, instead of early Saturday as had been earlier predicted.

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With hurricane warnings covering most of Florida’s eastern coastline, from Florida City in 
the south to Daytona Beach in the north, the  American Red Cross is mobilizing resources in response.

The American Red Cross has already pre-positioned disaster response volunteers and supplies such as water, shelter materials and other emergency items. Though massive response efforts to Hurricane Charley are ongoing, Red Cross disaster responders are on full alert, ready to shelter evacuees and provide immediate emergency relief as soon as Frances strikes.

As of Sept. 2, the American Red Cross opened 
82 shelters in 23 counties, already providing refuge for more than 21,000 people. In continued anticipation of Hurricane Frances, Red Cross officials plan to open many more shelters tonight

With ferocious Hurricane Frances churning steadily toward land, many Floridians are filling shelters and evacuation routes, while others scurry to make last-minute preparations for the second massive storm to hit the state in three weeks. About 2.5 million residents were ordered to evacuate, the largest number in state history.

Anyone with relatives in the potentially affected areas should set up an emergency communication plan with family members.

Hurricane Frances has already forced hundreds of people to flee across the Caribbean after mangling portions of the Turks and Caicos islands yesterday, downing trees and and blowing roofs from homes. No injuries were reported, according to the Turks and Caicos Emergency Management Service, but many telephone lines were still down.

Following a steady northwest trek, Frances is approaching San Salvador and the Bahamas chain of 700 islands, home to 300,000 people, at an estimated speed of 13 mph and is located 395 miles east southeast of Miami. Cruise ships have also altered routes to avoid the hurricane, and flights in and out of the Bahamas have been grounded. Prime Minister Perry Christie reportedly told Bahamians their nation faced one of the most intense hurricanes in its history.