Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies

Homeless head for shelter of parking garage

Dan Ryan and Joe McGee, who call Tampa's streets home, headed for shelter early Friday on the upper levels of a downtown parking garage.

"Word on the street is that it's a safe place to go," said Ryan, who hasn't lived in a house for 12 years.

McGee said he has lived on the street for 14 years. With all their belongings in their hands, the two worried only about protecting themselves from the elements while downtown business owners hammered boards over windows.

"We don't have boards, we don't have windows," McGee said.

- JANET ZINK

Some of Busch Gardens' antelopes and giraffes were allowed to stay out in part of the park's Serengeti Plain even as Hurricane Charley approached. The Tampa attraction did not open Friday, and most of the park's animals were put in secure quarters.

Park spokesman Gerard Hoeppner said the antelopes and giraffes often like to stay out in severe weather since the plain is more like their natural habitat.

- ASSOCIATED PRESS

A few markets and restaurants were open past lunch Friday; others stores never opened at all.

In the Webb's City shopping center in Midtown in St. Petersburg, for example, the anchor store, Winn Dixie, was closed with storm shutters pulled down over its large windows. A few doors down, however, the Hong Kong Chinese restaurant was doing a brisk takeout business.

Next door, the Beauty Supply shop was open, too. No customers were buying hair locks, wigs, grooming products or jewelry. Owner Keun Paik didn't care. She was in the store because her home was in an evacuation zone. She planned to ride out Charley at work, so why not open for business?

- SHARON L. BON

At the Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa, eight biologists, engineers and the aquarium's head chef were prepared to weather whatever Hurricane Charley chose to throw at them.

"We're going to have a decent meal tonight," said aquarium head Thom Stork of the chef's role on the facility's "Ride Out" team. The other members of the team prepared to monitor the filtration systems of the tanks and quickly make any repairs that might endanger the marine animals.

All staff members are on call for 8 a.m. today "to put it back together," Stork said. "The plan is to be back open by noon."

- JANET ZINK

On a morning filled with anxiety, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker found a way to break the tension. As he toured police headquarters to thank the officers for working during the storm, he discovered an employee had brought in a guitar, very similar to the one Baker owns.

Baker picked up the instrument and began strumming an Eagles tune, and employees gathered around to listen.

The mayor said he instructed his wife to put his guitar on the top shelf in a closet before they evacuated.

"The guitar and the videos of the kids," Baker said. "That's what's really important."

- CARRIE JOHNSON

First, Hurricane Charley scrubbed a planned Tampa rally Thursday for independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader. Now first lady Laura Bush has canceled plans to campaign for the president Monday in Clearwater, Orlando and Delray Beach and Tuesday in Miami. The Bush-Cheney campaign said she will reschedule her appearances.

- ADAM C. SMITH

Derrick Reno and Spencer Chism made a run to Palma Ceia Liquors in south Tampa on Friday afternoon to pick up hurricane party supplies - a half gallon of rum and some mixers. The pair drove from Chism's home in Ybor City, where he was hosting some friends including Reno, who had evacuated from Clearwater.

"This was the only place open," Chism said.

Store owner Maria Dugarte had boarded up her windows but left the door open to make sure people knew she was ready for business.

"It's been very steady," she said.

- JANET ZINK

The Subway at 18089 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. was one of the few places someone could find food in New Tampa on Friday. But at first, business wasn't booming. The sandwich shop is in The Walk, a cluster of stores obscured by tall palm trees.

Owner Anver Dewji's son and daughter heard a customer say no one could see the store, and they headed out with a green Subway placard. In a light drizzle, they stood at the intersection of Highwoods Preserve Parkway and Bruce B. Downs, hoisted the sign and directed cars to their father's business.

By 3:30 p.m., the line was so long, the entrance was blocked.

- RODNEY THRASH

As the first drops of rain came down, April and Bill Sircel ran out with a camera to take pictures of a construction site adjacent to their Valrico residence. Loose pieces of plywood, cement blocks and boards with exposed nails littered the partially built home.

"Look at this; it's a disaster zone," said Bill Sircel, 44, noting that contractors failed to clean up the mess as the storm approached.

To shield his house, Sircel was parking five cars and one boat along the lot line between houses.

- LETITIA STEIN