Progress Energy Florida and Tampa Electric are asking consumers to conserve electricity due to the shutdown of natural gas production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. The two utilities say they have ample fuel supplies for their current needs but said it isn't yet certain when gas production will resume in the gulf.
To conserve electricity, the utilities recommended taking the following steps:
Set your home's thermostat at 78 degrees or warmer.
When away from home, raise the thermostat to 82 degrees or warmer.
Close curtains and blinds to insulate against cooling loss.
Take lukewarm showers and baths.
Reduce use of all nonessential electric appliances, such as dishwashers and clothes dryers.
Power mostly restored in South Florida
Power has been restored to about 90 percent of the South Florida customers left in the dark after Katrina passed through on Thursday evening.
In the Pensacola area, Gulf Power Co. crews worked through the night to restore service to 90,000 homes and businesses, leaving about 38,000 still without power Tuesday.
State officials said enough gasoline was on hand to make it through the Labor Day weekend. They urged Floridians to avoid topping off their tanks unless they absolutely needed the extra fuel.
Katrina hammered South Florida's farmers and nurseries. Early estimates put losses at $427-million in just Miami-Dade County. Many farmers and nurseries might not have any product to sell for a year or longer.
The nursery industry is the largest segment of the state's $6.5-billion agricultural industry.
FEMA to base long-term operations in Orlando
Federal Emergency Management Agency officials are basing long-term hurricane recovery operations in Orlando - far from Katrina's damage, but close enough to ferry workers back and forth if necessary.
Scott Morris, FEMA director of Florida long-term recovery, said thousands of emergency workers, logisticians, operations managers and wet rescue crews would be badged and vaccinated in the coming weeks for deployment.
He said workers would focus only on lifesaving and life-sustaining efforts for now.
Storm cost: $25-billion
Hurricane Katrina could cost the insurance industry up to $25-billion in claims, which would make it the costliest storm in the nation's history, according to risk assessment firms.
AIR Worldwide Corp., a risk modeling firm based in Boston, said its projection now anticipates insured losses in a range of $17-billion to $25-billion. Risk Management Solutions of Newark, Calif., projected insured losses of $10-billion to $25-billion.
That means Katrina could prove more costly than Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which caused some $15.5-billion in insured losses. Adjusted for inflation, Andrew's cost would be nearly $21-billion today.
Cruise ships diverted
Carnival Cruise Line has diverted five ships destined for New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., to Galveston and Tampa. Carnival's Holiday, with 1,550 passengers, docked in Tampa on Tuesday. Passengers had the choice of extending their Caribbean cruise by a day or heading for Tampa International Airport to fly home on time. Holiday is scheduled to leave Tampa for Mobile today. Tampa Bay hotels and business meeting planners are trying to see if any conventions displaced from the New Orleans/Biloxi area need accommodations on short notice.
"We are updating our packages and convention facility availability for the next six months and forwarding it to the New Orleans convention bureau," said Karen Brand, spokeswoman for the Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau. "It's not a hard sell. We're trying to help those meetings that might be displaced."
Pinellas teams assisting
Five rescue teams from Pinellas County EMS/Sunstar left Tuesday to help with rescue and aid efforts in Mississippi. They are part of a 50-vehicle convoy from Florida. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said it was sending 17 agency members to southern Mississippi as part of the Florida Sheriff's Task Force effort to help with Katrina.
Fire rescue personnel from Tampa and Hillsborough County also will be part of a task force from Florida joining search and rescue missions. They will be sent to areas in and around Pascagoula, Gulfport and Biloxi in Mississippi.
Red Tide impact unclear
Scientists say it's too early to know if Hurricane Katrina affected the Red Tide that has killed fish off the coasts of Pinellas and Pasco counties, but they plan to conduct water tests today.
Officials hope to learn more about the state of Red Tide, and about oxygen-depleted pockets of water on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico, said Cynthia Heil, senior scientist at the state Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.
Red Tide is a toxic algae.
Church groups offer help
More than 100 members of two faith-based organizations from across Florida set out Tuesday for Alabama and Mississippi in a 31-truck convoy, including mobile kitchens and a shower trailer.
Gov. Jeb Bush was on hand to see them off in Pensacola. A Southern Baptist Disaster Relief contingent went to Hattiesburg, Miss., and a Salvation Army group to Mobile, Ala.
"It's payback time as far as I'm concerned," Bush said. He said volunteers and government agencies from across the nation came to Florida's aid last year, when four hurricanes struck the state.
Times staff writers Lou Hau, Curtis Krueger, Graham Brink, Mark Albright and Sandra Amrhein contributed to this report, which includes information from the Associated Press.
Multimedia: Continuing fallout