Florida Braces For Hurricane Katrina, Which Sends Jitters On Oil Markets

SHAKE AND BLOW

Tropical Storm Katrina is shown here as observed by NASA�s QuikSCAT satellite on August 25, 2005, at 08:37 UTC (4:37 a.m. in Florida). At this time, the storm had 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour; 43 knots) sustained winds. The storm does not appear to yet have reached hurricane strength.

The greater danger may be not with her winds, but with Katrina�s rains. The storm is moving slowly, just 13 km/hr (8 mph), and is expected to slow as it moves over land. This means that Katrina�s heavy rains will linger longer over one area, dumping 15-25 centimeters (6-10 inches) of rain over Florida and the Bahamas and possibly up to 38 cm (15 inches) in some regions, the National Hurricane Center warns.

The image depicts wind speed in color and wind direction with small barbs. White barbs point to areas of heavy rain. The highest wind speeds, shown in purple, surround the center of the storm.

by Patrick Moser
Miami (AFP) Aug 25, 2005
Storm-wary Florida Thursday braced for the imminent landfall of Hurricane Katrina, which also caused jitters on oil markets where concern over Gulf of Mexico platforms helped send crude prices to record highs.

First gusts of winds already sent roof shingles and tree limbs flying in Miami and nearby Fort Lauderdale a few hours before the storm's anticipated landfall.

Katrina, which became a full-blown hurricane Thursday afternoon, was expected to Florida in the course of the night, before heading across the state toward the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico.

Initial concerns that Katrina could swirl over offshore rigs were cited as a key factor in driving crude prices to new highs and caused the evacuation of non-essential workers from some platforms off the southern United States.

Crude oil futures jumped to a record New York closing price of 67.49 dollars a barrel, up 17 cents from Wednesday.

But forecasts late Thursday showed the hurricane should remain to the east of the main offshore oil fields, and would likely make a second landfall in northwestern Florida Sunday or Monday.

Authorities in southeastern Florida opened emergency shelters and urged residents of mobile homes and barrier islands to evacuate to safer ground,

Most schools and offices in the threatened area were closed down on Thursday.

"It's important to take this seriously," said Florida Governor Jeb Bush, a brother of the US president.

Florida residents stocked up on basic supplies in what has become a well-rehearsed routine after four deadly hurricanes hit the southeastern US state last year, along with another last month.

At 5:00 pm (2100 GMT) Thursday, Katrina's center was located 24 kilometers (15 miles) east-northeast of Fort Lauderdale and was moving west at nine kilometers (six miles) per hour.

The hurricane packed maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour with higher gusts.

While Katrina ranked at the bottom of the five-level Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale, forecasters warned residents not to underestimate the threat it presented, and particularly the risks of floods. "Due to its slow forward speed, Katrina is expected to produce a significant heavy rainfall event over Florida," said NHC forecaster Stacy Stewart.

Officials also warned the hurricane could spawn tornadoes.

"In essence, this is a very dangerous storm," Governor Bush said.

Before it became a hurricane, Katrina hit the Bahamas islands - a popular tourist destination - knocking out power in some areas and prompting authorities to shut down airports.

In south Florida, authorities closed ports and cruise terminals, while Fort Lauderdale airport was set to shut down Thursday evening.

Several beachfront hotels also boarded up their doors, but with large waves rolling in, surfers ignored official warnings to stay out of the water.

The storm put a damper on the MTV Video Music Awards, causing the cancelation of star-studded concerts and parties leading up to the main event on Sunday night.

Workers on Thursday took down from a Miami Beach hotel roof the giant statue of an astronaut that symbolizes the "Moonman," the award MTV hands out at the annual ceremony.

But organizers said that if current forecasts hold, the storm should not affect the awards ceremony at a waterfront arena in Miami.

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SHAKE AND BLOW

ERS-2 Successfully Targets China's Typhoon Matsa

Paris (ESA) Aug 12, 2005
Heavy rainfall and flooding from Typhoon Matsa killed at least 12 people and caused millions of euros worth of damage in China. In Matsa's aftermath, unique data from ESA's ERS-2 spacecraft reveal the interior wind fields powering it at its height.

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