When will we know if Tampa Bay area residents need to evacuate because of Hurricane Ivan?
"Probably tomorrow some decisions will be made," said Mike Foerster, director of communications for Hillsborough County. He called hurricane prediction "a thankless job" because officials don't want to evacuate people unnecessarily, nor do they want to leave people in flood-prone areas that could prove unsafe. In Pinellas County, officials said such decisions might come Saturday or Sunday. Pay attention to newspaper, radio and television updates.
Will Ivan likely remain a Category 4 or 5 storm?
It's impossible to say, but even the most powerful hurricanes frequently undergo fluctuations in intensity, depending on shearing winds, ocean temperatures and other factors. Two of the most powerful Atlantic storms ever - Isabel in 2003 and Mitch in 1998 - were both Category 5 storms at one point but made landfall as Category 2, and Category 1, respectively. Hurricane Charley, on the other hand, was a Category 2 as it left Cuba but hit the Charlotte Harbor area as a Category 4.
Will I be safe in a shelter during a Category 4 or 5 hurricane?
In Pinellas County, for example, most of the county's designated shelters are public school buildings, which have been evaluated to hold up in a Category 3 hurricane. "We know they are survivable up to 130 mph," said Gary Vickers, Pinellas emergency management director. "A Category 5 might cause damage (to a shelter), but it's unlikely to cause catastrophic damage."
Will I be safe in my home, if it's not in an evacuation area?
Vickers said few buildings are built to survive winds of 160 mph, which scientists clocked inside Ivan at one point. The best option is for people to reinforce their homes, designate a safe room and ride out the most severe conditions in that room with a survival kit, he said. "It's about improving your chances for survival," Vickers said. "It doesn't guarantee your chances of survival, but it certainly improves them."
If Hurricane Ivan approaches the Tampa Bay area, should I be worried about the stack of branches in my front yard left over from the last storm?
"That is absolutely a concern," said Pinellas County spokeswoman Marcia Crawley. "We have jump-started our program to get this stuff removed. We're throwing the kitchen sink to get as much of this debris as possible." Pinellas County residents who have branches or other vegetation from their own yards left over from the storm may take it free of charge to the county landfill at 3095 114th Ave N.
The worry is that branches and other debris could become flying missiles if Hurricane Ivan sweeps in. "Quite frankly, there is no way physically to get it all removed in the next couple days," said Foerster, of Hillsborough County. He urged people with leftover debris that is not hauled away this weekend to "somehow bind it or secure it so that it has a little more weight to it." But he acknowledged, "it's hard to secure a big pile of limbs."
Do the electric companies have enough workers to restore power if we get hit by yet another storm?
Yes, says Progress Energy spokesperson Cherie Jacobs. She said the utility has arrangements with its counterparts in other states who will send down fresh workers if a new hurricane hits, who will join forces with the company's own employees. "For Frances we have 9,000 people from 23 states. We have folks from as far away as Colorado and Minnesota," Jacobs said. "The same thing would happen for Ivan," she added. But Jon Myatt, spokesman for the state emergency response team, added: "We can call in the resources we need, but the reality is that that takes time."
Is plywood available?
It is very spotty. And it is selling out quickly. The Home Depot in Pinellas Park, for example, got two truckloads Thursday morning and it was gone by early afternoon. Call ahead. Building experts warn that property owners should be careful in how they put up plywood. Nailing it to exterior walls creates holes that become entry points for water after the plywood is taken down. Water inside the walls can cause extensive damage over time.
Is gasoline available?
Yes, but many Tampa Bay area stations ran out during the first two storms, so it's a good idea to fill your vehicles' tanks before a hurricane hits. State officials say Florida's gasoline supplies have been replenished, but many gas stations on Florida's east coast haven't had electricity for their gas pumps since Hurricane Frances hit them.
Has a 160-mile-an-hour hurricane ever hit Florida?
Yes. The unnamed Labor Day storm that hit the Florida Keys in 1935 was estimated to have winds of between 150 and 200 mph with gusts higher than 200. And Andrew, which hit Homestead in 1992, was believed to have peak winds of 165 mph with gusts over 200, an estimate based on damage. Precise measurements weren't possible because Andrew blew away all the wind-measuring equipment.
I understand the Florida Keys are being evacuated. When was the last total evacuation of the Keys?
In 2001 for Hurricane Michelle, a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 135 mph that missed a direct hit. Officials estimated that only 15 percent of Keys residents left, in a region notorious for people opting to ride out storms at home.
Can I use dry ice to keep frozen food if I lose power? Is it safe?
Yes on both counts. But you must use insulated gloves to handle dry ice because it is much colder than frozen water and can actually burn skin. Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide, one of the principal gases in the earth's atmosphere. We exhale carbon dioxide when we breathe, it's the gas plants use in photosynthesis and it's added to water to make club soda. Dry ice is particularly useful for keeping things frozen because it's so cold, -109.3 degrees F, compared to water ice, which freezes at +32 degrees. And dry ice doesn't melt, it evaporates, so no water remains to get things soggy. It can be used indoors; the white vapor is harmless. To keep food, wrap it first and put it into a cooler with the dry ice.
What happens to alligators during a hurricane?
Like most large wildlife, alligators instinctively seek the most protected areas of their habitat, said Harry Dutton, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Alligator Management Program. "They don't just float there and get whipped up by the waves," Dutton said. Beware of gators during floods, though. "When the floods come, they definitely disperse, and start showing up in places where you wouldn't normally see them," Dutton said. "They take advantage of the high waters to seek out new habitats."
What about manatees?
It's a mystery, says Kipp Frohlich, who heads the FWC's Imperiled Species Management section. During Hurricane Andrew, a manatee was tossed into a golf course pond; during Charley, one was recovered from Fort Myers Beach. Both were returned to the water safely. "It's not like they pack up and leave," Frohlich said. "There's certainly a lot of evidence that they just hang out and go where the water goes." Frohlich said there is data that suggests the adult manatee population goes down in the years following major hurricane strikes, but scientists aren't sure whether that means manatees are more vulnerable during a hurricane, or whether they relocate. "Scientists are curious about that one," he said.
- Compiled by Curtis Krueger with information from Jean Heller, Jay Cridlin, Michael Sandler and the Associated Press.
