Killer storm Fay barrels toward Florida

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the lethal storm, packing sustained winds of nearly 95 kilometers (60 miles) per hour, could intensify to hurricane strength as it pushes toward southwestern Florida coastline, with landfall possible within hours.

At 0600 GMT Fay was centered just north of the vacation hub of Key West, or about 70 kilometers (45 miles) south of Naples, and was advancing at about seven miles (12 kilometers) per hour.

The NHC said the storm threatened to become a category one hurricane on a scale of one to five, with storm tides up to 1.5 meters (five feet) higher than normal.

Key West Mayor Morgan McPherson told Fox News television late Monday that while Fay is far from the strongest possible storm, even a low intensity hurricane can lead to serious injury or loss of life.

"Have you ever been hit by a coconut? Well, those things are worse than bullets. They do not travel at high velocities very often, but, when they do, they make a big hole," McPherson said.

"Not only that. We have branches that can take (off) somebody's arm."

A state of emergency was in place across Florida, while the 12,000 residents of the resort island of Marcos, south of Naples, were placed under a dusk-to-dawn curfew as a precaution from the oncoming storm, CNN said.

The storm's tail of heavy rain was still pounding Cuba, which escaped Fay's passage with little more than blown-off roofs, uprooted trees and some flooding, but no deaths.

The Dominican Republic and Haiti were not so lucky, with numerous deaths reported. The worst incident was in Haiti, where a truck carrying around 60 passengers plunged into a swollen river.

Civil protection officials said half the passengers were missing, with many feared drowned, but no firm toll was immediately available.

Four people were killed in the Dominican Republic due to the heavy rains, with thousands evacuated, media said.

One woman also reportedly died in Jamaica after her vehicle overturned in flood waters.

In Florida authorities ordered the evacuation of tourists and closed schools in the Keys and counties to the north. In Key West, four shelters were set up in case residents were also forced to abandon their homes. Flights were canceled.

But McPherson said he was dismayed to see that many residents did not take the threat seriously and were even frolicking in the inclimate weather.

"We have our police officers out there," McPherson said.

"My greatest concern is that our public safety officers will end up getting injured because somebody is not using their brains."

Florida Governor Charlie Crist said the storm would likely have an impact over a broad area.

"Tornadoes are likely in some areas tonight (Monday) and tomorrow, and maybe even into the next few days," he told a media conference.

Some 500 national guard members were deployed, with another 8,500 available if needed, Crist said.

"Even though this storm doesn't look like it's very dangerous and people will say, 'it's just a tropical storm,' or 'it's just a Category One hurricane,' our experience with Florida tells us that if we're not careful, we will lose people," said Craig Fugate, the state's emergency management chief.

In Miami, a tropical storm warning was in effect and boardwalks and restaurants were empty, as authorities warned locals to remain indoors.

Although far from Fay's eye, Miami was expected to get hit by tornados and flooding as it gets sideswapped by the storm. There were already reports of power outages in homes affecting about 2,000 people.

But not everybody was hunkering down for the storm. Hundreds of surfers thronged Miami beaches to ride the huge swells the storm was serving up.

"We have amazing waves today, something not seen very often on this beaches. It's a perfect day," Australian Miami resident Martin Bain told AFP before charging off into the water with a bunch of friends.

And crude oil prices fell Monday as Fay's path appeared likely to bypass oil and gas production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico.

Royal Dutch Shell said it had evacuated 425 staff from the Gulf of Mexico but added that no more workers would leave as Fay appeared likely to miss its energy installations.

After roaring through Florida, the storm is expected to continue north, albeit with less power, into Georgia state, although its path was unpredictable.

Fay is the sixth named storm of this year's Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.