Hurricane Floyd Report

Hurricane Floyd, one of the most fearsome storms of the century, was battering the Bahamas with winds of 140 mph and threatening Florida.

As of 5:00pm, Hurricane Floyd was located about 235 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Floyd is moving toward the northwest at 12mph , which will bring Floyd closer to Florida's East cost during the next 24 hours.

Floyd remains a dangerous category 4 hurricane with hurricane force winds extending outward to 125 miles from the center.

A hurricane warning is extended northward along the Georgia and South Carolina coast, Hurricane warnings are now in effect from Boca Raton, Florida, to Little River Inlet, South Carolina.

A storm of this size is capable of storm surge flooding of 15 to 20 feet above normal tide levels, accompanied by large and dangerous battering waves , and severe winds damage in the warned area. A storm surge of 15 to 20 feet can travel inland up to 6 miles.

While the exact tract of the storm is still uncertain, Floyd is expected to be very close to the central coast tonight and Wednesday morning. History has shown that category 3 hurricanes or higher, rarely move off track.

By Andrea

Hurricane Floyd
by Mike

NASA closed down the Kennedy Space Center, evacuating its 12,500 workers. The center is only 9 feet above sea level, so a storm surge and wind could be devastating. $8 billion worth of space shuttles are being housed in shelters designed to withstand winds of up to 125 mph.

In Orlando, Disney World shut down for the first time in its history. Universal Studios and Sea World where also shut down. Floyd is three times as large as 1992's Hurricane Andrew, which killed 30 people and caused $25-$35 billion in damage to south Florida. The latest sustained winds were reported at 140 mph, 15 mph less than Monday. But forecasters consider the change a fluctuation, not an indication of any weakening."If it's a little bit weaker than yesterday, that's a little bit like the difference of being run over by a freight train or being run over by a semi-truck," said Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center. "Neither prospect is good."

"How do you prepare for a storm that's going to wipe you out?" asked Buster Browne, a McClennanville, S.C., resident who rode out Hugo, a Category 4 storm."Category 1 or 2, you run out and buy plywood and do what you can," he said. "If a Category 5's going to hit you, what the (censored) are you going to do? Get the stuff you want to save and leave town."