scamper
10-24-2005, 08:29 AM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051024/ap_on_re_us/wilma_not_afraid
By DAVID ROYSE, Associated Press Writer
26 minutes ago
KEY WEST, Fla. - Despite the memory of Hurricane Katrina, at least 90 percent of residents along the Florida Keys refused to evacuate as Hurricane Wilma swirled toward the state.
"We're not New Orleans," said Elaine Chinnis, walking her dogs along Duval Street in Key West a few hours before Wilma was expected to pass by to the north.
The people here are not only hurricane weary — they've dealt with four this year alone — they're also hurricane savvy. They insist they're not being cavalier by refusing to leave. Instead, they're simply not that afraid of a hurricane that wasn't expected to make a direct hit on Key West.
"It seems like we know more than the weather people," Chinnis said, as her dogs, Liberty and Justice, tugged at their leashes. "They seem to over-exaggerate everything."
Residents complain of a cry-wolf effect. People here have been ordered out before, and returned to find minimal damage — which is probably why so few left this time.
"I'm disappointed, but I understand it," Monroe County Sheriff Richard Roth said. "They're tired of leaving because of the limited damage they sustained during the last three hurricanes."
Officials hate that attitude. A storm surge of up to 17 feet — enough to cause devastating flooding — was possible, according to forecasters. And hospitals were closed, meaning emergency situations could be even more dire.
Katrina did scare people in Key West, argues David Burnett, a guest house worker. That's why the tourists here were ordered out several days before Wilma and nearly all the bars and restaurants were shuttered. That might not have happened last year.
"I cannot emphasize enough to the folks that live in the Florida Keys: A hurricane is coming," an exasperated Gov. Jeb Bush said Sunday before it became too late to flee. "Perhaps people are saying, `I'm going to hunker down.' They shouldn't do that. They should evacuate."
Said Max Mayfield, the director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami: "We've been preaching this for decades, and you know, the government can only do so much. "I don't know how we motivate people."
Officials say they're the ones who will be criticized if the storm comes ashore bigger than expected, or takes a last-minute turn and goes where it wasn't expected, as Hurricane Charley did last year in southwest Florida.
Key West city commissioner Dan Kolhage said it worries him that people here aren't taking Wilma more seriously, but said it just doesn't seem to be a strong enough storm to scare people out.
"A lot of it has to do with the size, the category," Kolhage said. "The break point seems to be Category 3."
Late Sunday, that's exactly what Wilma became.
By DAVID ROYSE, Associated Press Writer
26 minutes ago
KEY WEST, Fla. - Despite the memory of Hurricane Katrina, at least 90 percent of residents along the Florida Keys refused to evacuate as Hurricane Wilma swirled toward the state.
"We're not New Orleans," said Elaine Chinnis, walking her dogs along Duval Street in Key West a few hours before Wilma was expected to pass by to the north.
The people here are not only hurricane weary — they've dealt with four this year alone — they're also hurricane savvy. They insist they're not being cavalier by refusing to leave. Instead, they're simply not that afraid of a hurricane that wasn't expected to make a direct hit on Key West.
"It seems like we know more than the weather people," Chinnis said, as her dogs, Liberty and Justice, tugged at their leashes. "They seem to over-exaggerate everything."
Residents complain of a cry-wolf effect. People here have been ordered out before, and returned to find minimal damage — which is probably why so few left this time.
"I'm disappointed, but I understand it," Monroe County Sheriff Richard Roth said. "They're tired of leaving because of the limited damage they sustained during the last three hurricanes."
Officials hate that attitude. A storm surge of up to 17 feet — enough to cause devastating flooding — was possible, according to forecasters. And hospitals were closed, meaning emergency situations could be even more dire.
Katrina did scare people in Key West, argues David Burnett, a guest house worker. That's why the tourists here were ordered out several days before Wilma and nearly all the bars and restaurants were shuttered. That might not have happened last year.
"I cannot emphasize enough to the folks that live in the Florida Keys: A hurricane is coming," an exasperated Gov. Jeb Bush said Sunday before it became too late to flee. "Perhaps people are saying, `I'm going to hunker down.' They shouldn't do that. They should evacuate."
Said Max Mayfield, the director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami: "We've been preaching this for decades, and you know, the government can only do so much. "I don't know how we motivate people."
Officials say they're the ones who will be criticized if the storm comes ashore bigger than expected, or takes a last-minute turn and goes where it wasn't expected, as Hurricane Charley did last year in southwest Florida.
Key West city commissioner Dan Kolhage said it worries him that people here aren't taking Wilma more seriously, but said it just doesn't seem to be a strong enough storm to scare people out.
"A lot of it has to do with the size, the category," Kolhage said. "The break point seems to be Category 3."
Late Sunday, that's exactly what Wilma became.