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'It's going to be worse than Ivan'
By CARRIE JOHNSON
Published July 10, 2005
As hurricane-force winds started to blow through Pensacola around noon, residents and emergency workers hunkered down for a storm described as having a Charley-like core with a Frances-like circulation.
"I can only go by what I've seen so far," said Escambia County Sheriff Ron McNesby. "But so far, it looks like it's going to be worse than Ivan."
Rain began blowing sideways early Sunday and traffic signals swung wildly in the wind. By 11 a.m., waves crashed over the top of the fishing pier on Pensacola Beach.
Landfall is predicted for about 2 p.m. CDT around the Florida-Alabama border - almost the same place Hurricane Ivan struck just 10 months ago. Because Dennis is so massive, hurricane-force winds won't subside until after 6 p.m. local time, with tropical storm-force winds expected to linger until nearly 2 a.m., said Sonya Smith, public information manager for Escambia County.
Still scarred from Ivan's punishing winds and storm surge, most residents heeded calls for evacation and left the area in droves. County officials estimate more than 100,000 people fled the area Saturday. Another 3,900 people crammed into emergency shelters, filling two to capacity.
They were joined by another 300 elderly and disabled residents in the early hours of the morning who were evacuated by county transportation officials after they called a hotline set up last night for those without the means to drive themselves to a shelter.
Escambia County Administrator George Touart said creating the hotline was the smartest thing he's ever done.
"If it saved just one person, it was definitely worth it," he said.
The biggest sense of worry as Dennis approached was the Interstate 10 bridge. Ivan's storm surge knocked away 58 spans from the eastbound and westbound bridges and dislodged another 66. It was reopened just 18 days after Ivan, but the fix was temporary and more repairs are still needed.
The bridge serves as a lifeline to Pensacola, the primary artery connecting the coastal city to the rest of Florida.
"I wish I could say I was optimistic about the I-10 bridge, but really I'm not," McNesby said.
[Last modified July 10, 2005, 13:46:02]
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