[Centraal] Orkaan Wilma (no 21) - The Beginning.

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Bron : CNN.com
Tropical Storm Wilma forms
Ties record for most storms in Atlantic season


Tropical Storm Wilma is south of Cuba in this infrared satellite image taken Monday at 3:15 a.m. ET.
MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- Tropical Storm Wilma formed Monday in the northwestern Caribbean, tying the record for the most storms in an Atlantic season and following a path that some forecasters believe could menace the Gulf Coast later this week as a hurricane.

Wilma is the 21st named storm of the season. The only other time that many storms formed since record keeping began 154 years ago was in 1933.

At 5 a.m. EDT, Wilma had top sustained winds near 40 mph, just above the threshold for tropical storms. It was centered about 175 miles southeast of Grand Cayman and drifting southwest near 3 mph.

A hurricane watch was issued for the Cayman Islands, meaning hurricane conditions could be felt there within 36 hours. The storm is expected to bring 4 to 6 inches of rain in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, with as much as 12 inches possible in some areas, forecasters said.

Long-term forecasts show the storm heading into the Gulf of Mexico by the weekend. Forecasters said high water temperatures and other conditions were favorable for it to become a significant hurricane.

But hurricane specialist Stacy Stewart said Wilma had shifted west of its previous path and could hit Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, not the U.S. Gulf Coast. "At this time it doesn't appear it will be a major threat to the United States during the next five days," Stewart said.

The U.S. Gulf Coast was already battered this year by Hurricane Katrina on Aug. 29. It killed more than 1,240 people and is expected to cause more than $34 billion in insured losses. Hurricanes Rita and Dennis have also battered the coast.

Since 1995, the Atlantic has been in a period of higher hurricane activity. Scientists say the cause of the increase is a rise in ocean temperatures and a decrease in the amount of disruptive vertical wind shear that rips hurricanes apart. Some researchers argue that global warming fueled by man's generation of greenhouse gases is the culprit.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say the busy seasons are part of a natural cycle that can last for at least 20 years, and sometimes up to 40 or 50. They say the conditions are similar to those when the Atlantic was last in a period of high activity in the 1950s and '60s.

It's also difficult to know whether the Atlantic was even busier at any time before record keeping began in 1851. And satellites have only been tracking tropical weather since the 1960s, so some storms that just stayed at sea before then could have escaped notice.

The six-month hurricane season ends Nov. 30. Wilma is the last on the list of storm names for 2005; there are 21 names on the yearly list because the letters q, u, x, y and z are skipped. If any other storms form, letters from the Greek alphabet would be used, starting with Alpha. That has never happened in roughly 60 years of regularly named Atlantic storms.

A tracking map on the hurricane center's wall already had Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta listed just in case they form.

Forecasters say they wouldn't be surprised if another storm formed this year, even though the official forecast only called for 21 named storms this year. Wind shear typically increases and sea temperatures usually fall toward the end of October in the Atlantic, hurricane specialist Richard Knabb said.

"But the western Caribbean is an especially favorable location for late season development because the water remains quite warm and the vertical shear often is not that strong down there, that far south. So conditions are still favorable down there sometimes in late October and into November," he said.

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bron : AccuWeather
Hurricane Wilma continues to gather steam over the warm waters of the Caribbean. The storm will reach Category 3 strength by the end of Wednesday and could become a Category 4 hurricane for a while on Thursday or Friday. The AccuWeather.com forecasted track of Wilma shows the storm becoming a serious threat to Florida this weekend. Deviations in the path are still possible, but currently we feel southern and central Florida will experience the full fury of the storm. When the storm makes landfall this weekend, the west coast of Florida somewhere between Tampa and the Keys could be pounded by winds over 100 mph and a destructive storm surge. Torrential rain brought by the storm will be widespread across a large portion of the state.
Story by AccuWeather.com expert senior meteorologist John Kocet.

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Bron : hurricanetrack.com/
UPDATED: 4:55 PM EDT, October 18, 2005
WILMA NOW FORECAST TO BE VERY STRONG CAT-3/4 HURRICANE

The latest info coming from the NHC suggests that Wilma could become a strong category three and perhaps even a category four hurricane before making landfall. This is obviously not good news for the people in the path of this hurricane. It seems that environmental conditions will be very favorable for Wilma to become an intense and very dangerous hurricane. With that being said, I urge people within the cone of probability to start taking preparedness action now. Remember- your local authorities have hurricane plans in place to deal with such an event. Also remember too that a lot of people are in Florida now as "Snowbirds" and may not be used to hurricane threats. Time is on your side now- use it wisely and prepare for the worst. It looks like Wilma will come in and move out fairly quickly and we will have to see if it comes out close enough to the coast so that people along the Outer Banks of North Carolina have to worry. I am not sure that this will be the case right now- but it is something we will need to watch.

I am leaving for Naples, FL in the morning and will have full updates while en route. My colleague from Ft. Lauderdale, Mike Watkins, will produce a nice video report tomorrow evening to explain things to people using excellent graphics and simple terms so that folks understand what they're up against. That video will be online here near 7pm tomorrow evening. I will post another text update here later this evening- near the 11pm EDT advisory time.

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Bron : CNN
Hurricane Wilma now 'extremely dangerous'


Hurricane Wilma now 'extremely dangerous'
Category 4 storm has top sustained winds of 150 mph

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Hurricane Wilma rapidly intensified from a Category 2 to a Category 4 hurricane early Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, and forecasters warned it could become a Category 5 hurricane later in the day before possibly slamming into Florida by this weekend.

At 1 a.m. EDT, the National Hurricane Center reported an Air Force plane had found 150 mph winds with higher gusts in Wilma.

"Wilma is an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale," the center said in an advisory. "The hurricane could become a Category 5 hurricane today."

The storm has already left seven to 10 people dead in Haitian mudslides caused by heavy rains, government officials told Reuters news agency.

The latest in a slew of devastating storms to sock the Gulf region, Wilma became a hurricane Tuesday -- tying the record for both most hurricanes in a season with 12 and most named storms at 21.

Just nine hours after becoming a hurricane, Wilma's wind speeds had jumped from 75 mph to 100 mph. Then, within two hours, the winds intensified from 110 to 150 mph.

At 2 a.m. EDT, the center of the storm was located 170 miles south-southwest of Grand Cayman Island and about 400 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico. It was moving west-northwest at nearly 8 mph and is expected to turn to the northwest over the next 24 hours, the hurricane center said.

A Category 4 hurricane can cause a storm surge of 18 feet above normal and cause complete destruction of mobile homes, extensive damage to doors and windows of structures and major damage to lower floors of structures near the shore.

Projections for Wilma's path suggest the storm may skirt the western tip of Cuba on Friday, possibly as a Category 4 storm with winds of greater than 130 mph, before curving eastward and barreling toward the southwestern Florida coast.

"All interests in the Florida Keys and the Florida peninsula should closely monitor the progress of Wilma," the NHC said.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward about 15 miles from the eye, and tropical-storm-force winds stretch up to 155 miles from the center.

Cuba has issued a hurricane watch for the provinces of Matanzas westward through Pinar del Rio and for the Isle of Youth, according to the hurricane center. Late Tuesday, Mexico extended a hurricane watch for the Yucatan Peninsula. The watch area now stretches from Punta Gruesa to Cabo Catoche. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions, including winds of at least 74 mph, are possible within 36 hours.

A 150-mile stretch of the Honduran coast is under a tropical storm warning, and the Cayman Islands are under tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch.

The hurricane center said Cuba could get anywhere from 10 to 15 inches of rain in Wilma's wake, with some areas getting socked with as much as 25 inches. Additional rainfall accumulations of of up to 10 inches, with up to 15 inches possible in some areas, was possible across the Cayman Islands and Jamaica through Thursday. Across the Yucatan Peninsula, rainfall of up to 6 inches was possible, with up to 12 inches in some areas.

Wilma is the 21st named storm of the 2005 hurricane season and the 12th to reach hurricane status. Of those, five have developed into major hurricanes.

The only other time 12 hurricanes have been recorded in the Atlantic was in 1969, according to the hurricane center. The most major hurricanes in a year was eight, in 1950.

Wilma is also the final name on the 2005 list. The hurricane center does not use certain letters of the alphabet, including X, Y and Z, because there are so few names begin with those letters.

If any tropical storms and subsequent hurricanes form before the season ends on Nov. 30, they will be classified using the Greek alphabet, beginning with Alpha.

If that happens, it would be the first time since the naming of storms began in 1953, according to the hurricane center.

quote:

Bron : NHC
000
WTNT64 KNHC 190629
TCUAT4
HURRICANE WILMA TROPICAL CYCLONE UPDATE
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
230 AM EDT WED OCT 19 2005
DATA FROM A RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT HURRICANE WILMA
HAS BECOME AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. THE RECONNAISSANCE PLANE MEASURED
175 MPH WINDS AND ESTIMATED A MINIMUM PRESSURE OF 892 MB. THIS IS
THE LOWEST PRESSURE OBSERVED IN 2005 AND IS EQUIVALENT TO THE
MINIMUM PRESSURE OF THE 1935 LABOR DAY HURRICANE IN THE FLORIDA
KEYS.

FORECASTER AVILA

quote:

Bron : CNN
Hurricane Wilma a Category 5 monster
'Extremely dangerous' storm has top sustained winds of 175 mph

Wednesday, October 19, 2005; Posted: 2:59 a.m. EDT (06:59 GMT)

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Hurricane Wilma has strengthened into an "extremely dangerous" Category 5 hurricane, with sustained maximum winds of 175 mph, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday.

The hurricane's minimum pressure is 892 millibars -- the lowest pressure observed in 2005.

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Op woensdag 19 oktober 2005 08:52 schreef IkWilbert het volgende:
Laten we hopen dat ie wat afzwakt voordat het land wordt bereikt. Dat is meestal wel geval...

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Op woensdag 19 oktober 2005 11:26 schreef Againzender het volgende:
Wat blijven die dingen toch lastig te voorspellen....

quote:

Bron : CNN.com

Hurricane center: Deadly Wilma eyeing Florida
Category 5 storm prompts Keys evacuation


Jim Cox measures plywood to cover the windows of his realty business Wednesday in Islamorada, Florida.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005; Posted: 5:37 p.m. EDT (21:37 GMT)
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- If Hurricane Wilma hits Florida this weekend as predicted, it could result in many deaths and a tremendous storm surge, the nation's chief hurricane forecaster said Wednesday.

Officials ordered nonresidents in the Florida Keys to evacuate in advance of the storm -- which as of 5 p.m. ET was a dangerous Category 5 hurricane off Mexico.

"We had well over a thousand lives lost in Katrina," said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

"If Wilma comes into the Florida coast as a Category 3 or 4 hurricane, that potential for large loss of life is with us here with this hurricane."

Forecasters said the storm -- with 160 mph (260 kph) sustained winds -- registered the lowest-recorded barometric pressure of any Atlantic basin hurricane -- an indication of its intensity. (Watch Mayfield's warning about Hurricane Wilma -- 3:19)

The hurricane center reported Wilma's barometric pressure Wednesday at 882 millibars -- below the 1988 record of 888 millibars set by Hurricane Gilbert. Storms with low barometric pressure are typically more intense.

A hurricane warning was in effect from San Felipe to Tulum on the Yucatan Peninsula, including Cozumel, the hurricane center said.

The head of Haiti's civil protection agency, Maria Alta Jean-Baptiste, told The Associated Press the storm's outer bands caused flooding and landslides that killed at least 11 people since Monday and forced at least 2,000 families from their homes.

"The situation is not catastrophic, but if the rains pick up, it could become very difficult for some people," Jean-Baptiste told AP.

As a tropical depression, Wilma already had been blamed for one death in Jamaica on Sunday, AP reported.

Forecasters said southwest Florida could start feeling the effects of Wilma on Saturday.

"I will assure you that if this one makes landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, there will be a tremendous storm surge," Mayfield said.

"And if it's a Category 4, we could easily have 15 to 20 feet near and south of where the center crosses the coast with up to even 25 feet up into the bays and the rivers."
Floridians stock up

Projections for Wilma's path suggest the storm may skirt the western tip of Cuba on Friday, possibly as a Category 4 storm with winds of greater than 130 mph, before curving eastward and heading toward the southwestern Florida coast.

In his 5 p.m. update, Mayfield emphasized the uncertainty in Wilma's long-term forecast, saying computer models had become more divergent over the course of the day.

In southwest Florida, residents stocked up on supplies. "I think since Katrina, everyone is more apprehensive about the situation as far as hurricanes go," Pat Schmidt, 74, told the AP while shopping at a Port Charlotte store.

Andrea Yerger, 48, of Port Charlotte, was buying material to protect her house in advance of Wilma. "People have learned their lesson and know better how to prepare," she told AP. "We're not waiting till the last minute anymore." (Full story)

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Wednesday the state will order evacuations in the coming days and has already begun to pre-stage relief supplies, such as ice and water.

Monroe County officials Wednesday ordered tourists to leave the Florida Keys beginning at noon, closed state parks and lifted the toll on the bridge that connects the Keys with mainland Florida.

Wilma strengthened on Wednesday within a matter of a few hours -- at 1 a.m. ET, the hurricane center reported the storm had 150 mph winds, taking it from a Category 2 to a Category 4. Just 90 minutes later, the center reported Wilma had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph and higher gusts.

As of 5 p.m. ET, the center of the storm was about 285 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico. It was wobbling generally toward the west-northwest at nearly 7 mph and is expected to turn to the northwest during the next 24 hours, the hurricane center said.

Hurricane-force winds extended outward about 60 miles from the eye, and tropical-storm-force winds stretched up to 230 miles from the center.

Wilma is the third Category 5 storm this year, preceded by Hurricane Katrina, which killed a confirmed 1,250 people when it slammed into Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama as a Category 4 storm on August 29, and Hurricane Rita, which hit Louisiana and Texas on September 24 as a Category 3. Nine deaths have been blamed on Rita.

Cuban hurricane watch
Cuba has issued a hurricane watch for the provinces of Matanzas westward through Pinar del Rio and for the Isle of Youth, according to the hurricane center.

A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions, including winds of at least 74 mph, are possible within 36 hours. (Caribbean braces)

Cuban authorities have already evacuated residents in the eastern part of the country after the outer bands of Wilma dumped heavy rain as it passed south of the island.

The hurricane center said Cuba could get anywhere from 10 to 15 inches of rain from Wilma, with some areas getting socked with as much as 25 inches.

A stretch of the Honduran coast is under a tropical storm warning from the Nicaraguan border to Cabo Camaron -- as is Belize from the Mexican border to Belize City.

Additional rainfall accumulations of up to 10 inches, with up to 15 inches possible in some areas, are possible across the Cayman Islands and Jamaica through Thursday.

Pentagon prepares
Pentagon officials said Wednesday the Navy has placed three ships on standby to be called to duty if Wilma makes landfall in the United States.

In addition, officials said, Homestead Air Reserve Base, south of Miami, has been designated as a mobilization center for aid and equipment to be collected and distributed to the affected areas.

A defense coordination officer has been dispatched by the Pentagon to Tallahassee, the state capital, to work with state officials on coordination with the military if Wilma hits Florida.

The officials said the storm was still too far out to make any immediate plans or to evacuate bases. The closest military base to the storm, as of Wednesday, is Naval Air Station Key West, which has not yet been ordered to evacuate.

CNN's Chad Myers contributed to this report.

quote:

Bron : Nu.nl
Mogelijk 250.000 Cubanen geëvacueerd voor komst Wilma

Uitgegeven: 19 oktober 2005 22:16
Laatst gewijzigd: 19 oktober 2005 23:51
HAVANA - Cuba bereidt de evacuatie voor van mogelijk meer dan 250.000 mensen uit de gebieden die worden bedreigd door de zeer gevaarlijke orkaan Wilma. Dat meldden de autoriteiten woensdag. Eerder waren op het Caribische eiland al ongeveer 9000 mensen in veiligheid gebracht.

Orkaan Wilma

De orkaan heeft geleid tot zware overstromingen in het oosten van Cuba, en bedreigt nu de westkust en het gebied rond de hoofdstad Havana met zware slagregens. Volgens de meteorlogische dienst op het communistische eiland is het niet waarschijnlijk dat de orkaan, die op volle zee windstoten van boven de 300 kilometer per uur veroorzaakt, het vasteland van Cuba zal raken.

Mexico

De Mexicaanse autoriteiten hebben woensdag opdracht gegeven voor de evacuatie van circa 33.000 toeristen uit Cancun, de eilanden Isla Mujeres en Holbox, en Punta Allen.

Alle hotelgasten in de betreffende plaatsen is verzocht huiswaarts te keren. De zware orkaan Wilma trekt naar verwachting de komende 24 uur tussen het Mexicaanse schiereiland Yucatan en Cuba door.

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Op woensdag 19 oktober 2005 20:18 schreef Hertog_Martin het volgende:
...WILMA WEAKENS SLIGHTLY...

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Op vrijdag 21 oktober 2005 01:03 schreef Vogue het volgende:
In Cancun en Playa del Carmen gaat over een half uur het "straatverbod" in, aldus een daar wonende ex-collega die ik net sprak op MSN. Alles is dichtgetimmerd.

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Op vrijdag 21 oktober 2005 09:53 schreef Mwanatabu het volgende:
Wat is dat?

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"Concentric eyewall cycles" (or "eyewall replacement cycle" ) naturally occur in intense tropical cyclones , i.e. major hurricanes (winds > 50 m/s, 100 kt, 115 mph) or Catories 3, 4, and 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. As tropical cyclones reach this threshold of intensity, they usually - but not always - have an eyewall and radius of maximum winds that contract to a very small size, around 10 to 25 km [5 to 15 mi]. At this point, some of the outer rainbands may organize into an outer ring of thunderstorms that slowly moves inward and robs the inner eyewall of its needed moisture and momentum. During this phase, the tropical cyclone is weakening (i.e. the maximum winds die off a bit and the central pressure goes up). Eventually the outer eyewall replaces the inner one completely and the storm can be the same intensity as it was previously or, in some cases, even stronger. A concentric eyewall cycle occurred in Hurricane Andrew (1992) before landfall near Miami: a strong intensity was reached, an outer eyewall formed, this contracted in concert with a pronounced weakening of the storm, and as the outer eyewall completely replaced the original one the hurricane reintensified. Another example is Hurricane Allen (1980) which went through repeated eyewall replacement cycles -- going from Categrory 5 to Category 3 status several times. To learn more about concentric eyewall cycles, read Willoughby et al. (1982) and Willoughby (1990a).

It was the discovery of concentric eyewall cycles that was prtially responsible for the end of the U.S. Governements's hurricane modification experiment Project STORMFURY, since what the scientists had hoped to produce through seeding was happening frequently as a natural part of hurricane dynamics.

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Op vrijdag 21 oktober 2005 11:00 schreef ondersoeker het volgende:
Wilma komt misschien hier onrust trappen:

"Deze run ziet er anders uit dan de vorige 12 uur en de afgelopen 00 run. Dit heeft te maken met de orkaan Wilma. In de vorige bespreking (gister) van het model is dit fenomeen niet in de beschouwingen meegenomen omdat het niet voor onze omgeving van belang was. Nu laat de Oper de restanten van Wilma snel over de oceaan richting noordwest Europa trekken (het komt zaterdag boven onze omgeving aan). Het model heeft ongetwijfeld problemen met de warmte die hier uitstroomt.
In eerste instantie vult de ex-orkaan iets op, maar tegen de tijd dat het in ons aandachtsgebied komt is het opnieuw uitgediept tot onder 950 hPa. Hier vooruit ontstaat nog een andere diepe depressie die donderdag al voor ons van belang kan zijn. Ook deze is als het bij ons aankomt uitgediept tot onder 950 hPa. Beide zouden hiermee voor orkaankracht gaan zorgen.Gelukkig laten de overige members een veel rustiger beeld zien"

bron:http://www.knmi.nl/waarschuwingen_en_verwachtingen/extra/guidance_ecmwf.php

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Bron : CNN
Hurricane Wilma lashing the Yucatan
Category 4 storm also threatens Cuba, Florida

Hurricane Wilma's outer bands are slamming the Yucatan in this satellite image taken Friday at 1:15 a.m. ET.

Friday, October 21, 2005; Posted: 4:28 a.m. EDT (08:28 GMT)
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Deadly Hurricane Wilma was pounding Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula early Friday, with the popular tourist cities of Cozumel and Cancun directly in the storm's path.

The Category 4 hurricane's outer bands began lashing the tourist hotspots late Thursday, and the winds will get stronger as the center of the storm moves closer.

As of 2 a.m. ET, the hurricane's top winds were 150 mph, with higher gusts.

By the time the outer wall of its eye reaches the Yucatan shoreline, the hurricane could strengthen into a Category 5, with winds greater than 155 mph, forecasters said. (Watch the latest on Wilma -- 1:58)

From the Yucatan, Wilma was expected to travel to Cuba, then to either the Florida Keys or southwest Florida -- maybe near Marco Island or as far north as Sarasota, said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami

Mayfield predicted the "very dangerous" storm would reach Florida late Sunday or early Monday. (Watch preparations in Florida -- 1:37)

"On the forecast track, the core of Wilma will be very near Cozumel and the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula by midday today," the hurricane center said early Friday. "However, Wilma has a large circulation and hurricane conditions will be felt well before the arrival of the center."

Early Friday, data from Cuba indicated that 20-foot waves were pounding portions of the southern coast of Cuba's Isle of Youth, the center said.

As of late Thursday, forecasters reported that a buoy in the eastern Gulf of Mexico was indicating large swells generated by Wilma. "These swells will likely affect portions of the northern Gulf Coast on Friday," the center said.
Stranded in Mexico

New Jersey resident Michael Attardi and his father-in-law were among dozens of Americans stranded Thursday on the island of Cozumel after airlines canceled flights, Attardi said. They went there to scuba dive. He said when they learned Tuesday about the impending storm, they arranged to leave Mexico at noon Thursday. Ferries also had stopped running, he said.

Attardi said 54 other U.S. citizens, including three small children, planned to seek haven in hotel room bathrooms when Wilma hits, in case windows shatter.

The Americans bought food and water before a 3 p.m. curfew, he said.

Cuban authorities were evacuating 500,000 residents from its westernmost provinces in anticipation of heavy rain and the possibility of mudslides. (See video on Cuba's preparedness -- 2:09)

By Thursday afternoon, more than 222,000 residents had left their homes, many of which are in dire condition after Hurricanes Dennis and Rita hit Cuba this year, officials said.

It is unlikely that Wilma will turn farther eastward and miss Florida, Mayfield said. But like all storms, this one is somewhat unpredictable, Mayfield added.

"That's a little bit like the stock market. Past performance is no guarantee of future results," he said.

Despite some inconsistencies in predictions, "all of the data suggests that eventually it's going to turn up towards the northeast and come over the south Florida Keys."

"Even a Category 2 or a Category 1 hurricane hitting the Florida Keys or the southwest coast of Florida can have big consequences there," Mayfield said.
Florida speeds preparations

Earlier Thursday, storm-weary Florida residents were warned to prepare for Wilma, the seventh hurricane to hit the state in 14 months. (Full story)

"It's too early to specify how strong Wilma will be once it reaches our coast, but Floridians south of the I-4 (Interstate 4) corridor and in the Keys should prepare for the possibility of a major hurricane making landfall late in the weekend," Gov. Jeb Bush said.

The Florida governor declared a state of emergency Wednesday night, hours after announcing that his state had begun evacuating tourists from the Keys and positioning relief supplies and equipment across the state.

Everyone in the Florida Keys will be under mandatory evacuation orders on Friday. Evacuees from the Keys have been directed to a shelter at Florida International University in Miami, which was opened Thursday. Those not staying there were asked to seek shelter north of Orlando.

To speed the evacuation, authorities locked down all drawbridges and suspended the tolls on the Card Sound Bridge, which connects mainland Florida with Key Largo. Schools and county offices in the Keys will be closed Friday for a second day.
FEMA chief: 'We are ready'

David Paulison, acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, detailed how the agency -- blamed for acting too slowly in August after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast -- is preparing for Wilma.

"By tomorrow afternoon, we will have delivered 150 truckloads of ice, 150 truckloads of water, 30 truckloads of MREs (meals ready to eat) and also the Red Cross is delivering heater meals there to the state of Florida to make sure we are ready for any type of catastrophe," he said. The latter reference is to meals that warm when their packaging is opened.

Paulison took over for Michael Brown, who resigned last month amid accusations that his agency acted too slowly after Katrina hammered Louisiana and Mississippi, killing more than 1,000 people.

Residents of Punta Gorda are hoping that, if Wilma strikes Charlotte County, the storm will not undo the repairs undertaken after August 2004, when Hurricane Charley pounded the region. Contractors repairing a condominium complex put tarpaulins over drywall, doors and kitchen cabinets awaiting installation.
Some choosing to stay put

Several Punta Gorda residents said they had no immediate plans to leave.

"Me and my wife, we are very prepared ... and we are planning on staying," Harold Clemens said. "We rode Charley out, and we're not going to leave unless things get too bad."

Sarah Borden said she would ride out the hurricane in her house.

"It's so hard to know because, if you rush off now and it may not come, you've wasted all that time, and then, even if you go, you worry about people who are left behind and your house," she said. "So we will stay."

In Lee County to the south, schools will be closed, and county officials could order evacuations on Friday.

Collier County emergency officials planned to mandate evacuations for residents of low-lying areas west and south of U.S. 41 and Tamiami Trail, including Marco Island. Shelters in Collier County are to open at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Officials postponed Saturday's game in Miami between the University of Miami Hurricanes and Georgia Tech's Yellow Jackets. Also, the Miami Dolphins-Kansas City Chiefs Sunday game was moved up to Friday.

It is the third time since the start of the 2004 NFL season that the Dolphins have rescheduled a home game due to the threat of a hurricane.

CNN's Allan Chernoff, Dave Hennen and Lucia Newman contributed to this report.

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STATE COLLEGE, PA (AccuWeather.com) -- AccuWeather.com meteorologists say Hurricane Wilma and the remnants of Tropical Storm Alpha will be drawn north along the Atlantic coast. By Tuesday they will be absorbed into a large low pressure system that will develop off the Virginia Capes, forming a "super-storm" that is expected to bring wind, rain, snow and flooding to the Northeast.