Web-posted September 2, 1996

  Hurricane Edouard slides by New England

Storm expected to hit land within a few days; forecasters urge residents to get ready

The Associated Press

MIAMI - Hurricane Fran took aim at the Bahamas and the southeastern United States on Monday and was expected to gain strength as it crossed over warmer waters near Florida.

The minimal hurricane was still three days away from land, but forecasters urged residents of the Southeast take precautions and begin making hurricane plans.

``It could be off the coast of Florida or bearing down on Florida in the next 72 hours or so. Its current track brings it right near Palm Beach,'' said meteorologist Brian Maher of the National Hurricane Center.

The prospect of more storms dampened spirits on the Labor Day holiday.

``It rained all day yesterday, it rained last night, it rained today and finally the sun has come out,'' said Joan Simmons, front desk manager for the 237-room Ocean Plaza Beach Resort on Tybee Island, Ga. ``Now, we have to worry about Hurricane Fran.''

At 5 p.m. EDT, Fran was centered near 24.1 north latitude, 68.6 west longitude, or about 560 miles east of Nassau, Bahamas. The storm was traveling west-northwest at about 12 mph with top winds near 80 mph.

``It's a little far off to see where it's going to hit,'' said meteorologist David Chorney. ``It could hit from anywhere from Florida to the Carolinas. We were hoping it would follow Edouard, but a high-pressure ridge could keep it from turning north.''

Bahamian government officials told residents of the northwestern Bahamas there most likely will be a hurricane watch early today and that they should prepare for the storm's arrival Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

Up and down the Atlantic coast, beachgoers were still coping with high tides and rough surf from Hurricane Edouard, which bypassed the Southeast and drenched New England as it headed toward Nova Scotia.

Over the weekend, Florida's coastline saw powerful swells, high tides and dangerous riptides.

``We've had unusually high tides due to the storms, Edouard and now Fran,'' said Louis Ajluni, dispatcher for the Volusia County Beach Patrol at Daytona Beach. ``And we're just coming off a full moon. Our high tides coincided with the middle of day. With the extra high tides, we closed our beaches to vehicles coming down.''

Then a midday lightning storm scared off the rest of the crowd.

``Here it is Labor Day and our beaches are fairly deserted,'' said Louis Ajluni, dispatcher for the Volusia County Beach Patrol.

The high tides damaged lifeguard towers, signs and trash can holders, said Joe Wooden, deputy beach chief in Volusia County.

Tropical Storm Gustav, which formed farther out in the mid-Atlantic, has dissipated. Forecasters, though, were keeping an eye on a tropical wave near the African coast.

``This system has the potential to become a tropical depression during the next day or two as it moves toward the west or westnorthwest at about 15 mph,'' said hurricane specialist Miles Lawrence.

The procession of storms comes at a time when many states are still grappling with evacuation plans.

Myrtle Beach Emergency Coordinator Bill Stephens said ``there really never has been closure'' in discussions about problems in the chain of command during Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

Over the years, state officials seem to agree on giving local officials more say, only to assert state control when a storm comes, Stephens said.

``Everybody nods their head and says yes,'' Stephens said, ``but then they go off and do otherwise.''