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JEAN HELLERTampa International Airport and all other public transportation systems shut down as Hurricane Frances crawled in.
TAMPA - It's going to be difficult getting into, out of and around the Tampa Bay area today.
No planes will be flying in or out of the two major airports.
The Sunshine Skyway bridge likely will close as winds climb past 40 mph, other bridges might close if winds and high surf make driving hazardous.
Gasoline is hard to come by as stations run out of gas or turn off pumps to ride out the storm.
The Port of Tampa is closed. Hartline buses aren't running in Tampa, nor are PSTA buses running in Pinellas County. Amtrak service has been suspended to all points south of Polk County.
Hurricane Frances is playing havoc with transportation in Tampa Bay and across Florida.
"It is really quiet out here," Christine Osborn, a spokeswoman for Tampa International Airport, said a few hours before the last flight departed Saturday night. "There aren't a lot of people stranded. I guess they did what they were supposed to and called the airlines to find out if their flights were going."
TIA has seen record passenger traffic over the last six months, but that wasn't obvious from the sparse crowds milling about the airsides Saturday afternoon as the final flights prepared to leave.
While bright blue departure screens included many red "canceled" notices, they showed flights leaving past 9 p.m. - in directions away from Hurricane Frances. Places like London, St. Louis and Sacramento.
Kathleen Allin, at the end of a two-week visit, didn't want her parents to drive her from Sarasota in nasty weather. So she moved her flight up from Sunday to Saturday evening.
"Seems like the last week all we did is prepare; shopping, picking up last minute things," Allin said.
Osborn said TIA operations were expected to resume some time on Monday, as weather permitted. Since the airsides have been closed and locked down, it will take several hours to reopen them, restart X-ray and scanning equipment and conduct security sweeps.
St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport closed at 5 p.m. There was no indication when it would reopen.
Gasoline stations all over the region had the plastic bags out again, covering gas nozzles that served tanks emptied either by residents leaving the area or by drivers who wanted to top off tanks in expectation of gasoline shortages after the storm.
Even those with full tanks were being advised not to drive Sunday unless it is absolutely necessary. With an expectation of downed power lines, trees and branches, emergency operations officials throughout the area said they wanted to try to reserve the roads for emergency vehicles.
"The greatest danger is people getting out and driving," said Craig Fugate, director of the state emergency management division.
Fugate said at least one person was killed after Hurricane Charley because the water on the road was too deep to tell where the pavement ended and a drainage canal began. In addition, there is a danger during the storm of cars being struck by falling power lines, branches and flying debris.
High-profile vehicles were barred from the Skyway as early as Saturday afternoon. Those included large trucks, motor homes and large recreational vehicles. The Florida Highway Patrol generally closes the bridge to all traffic when winds reach 40 mph.
The Port of Tampa closed Saturday, which could delay some deliveries of gasoline to replenish dry tanks. The closure was prompted by the expectation of high surf.
In addition, because Tampa Bay is so shallow, its 58.4-mile long shipping channel from the Gulf of Mexico gets treacherous in bad weather.
Times staff writer Josh Zimmer contributed to this report.