More Information on Hurricane Wilma

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Trail of death and destruction as Wilma unleashes its full wrath on Florida: "Hurricane Wilma unleashed its full wrath on Florida yesterday, bringing at least one death and destruction on a scale not seen in some parts of the state for decades. After following a meandering path through the Caribbean for almost a week, it made landfall at Cape Romano on Florida's south-west coastline at daybreak. Its 125mph winds carved a path of devastation across the Everglades and reached the heart of the Fort Lauderdale and Miami metropolitan area.

In Cuba, rescuers used scuba gear, inflatable rafts and amphibious vehicles to pull nearly 250 people from flooded homes in Havana after Wilma sent huge waves crashing into the capital, the Associated Press reported. In Cancún, Mexico, troops and federal police moved in to control looting at shops ripped open by the hurricane.

In Florida, one man was killed by a falling tree in Coral Springs, one of the towns hardest hit by what is the most damaging of the eight main hurricanes to have hit the state in the past 14 months. Many areas were flooded by up to 20cm (8in) of rain, almost 2m households were without power, and countless roofs were ripped off.

"Our No 1 priority is saving lives," said Jeb Bush, Florida's governor. Thousands are expected to be left homeless and Mr Bush promised that aid would be on the way quickly.

Much of Key West, at the tip of the low-lying island chain off Florida's south coast, was under 60cm (2ft) of water last night after an estimated 5.5-metre (18ft) storm surge swamped the town. The overseas highway, the only route to and from the mainland, was cut off in several places. "They're getting clobbered all the way up the Keys," said Billy Wagner, emergency management director of Monroe county.

The mayor of Key West, Morgan Macpherson, said his biggest worry was for the safety of the 80% of residents, about 20,000 people, who had refused to obey an order to evacuate, choosing to try to ride the storm out at home. "It's of disaster proportions and the island is extensively flooded," he said. "The old town, new town, back town, end town, any part of the town, it's all under water. Our major concern is for those who did not leave."

The federal emergency management agency, criticised for its slow response after Hurricane Katrina in August, was determined not to be caught out again. "We want to make sure we understand where the people are and where the damage is, and get to them as soon as possible," said Fema's head, David Paulison.

In Miami, fire and ambulance crews stopped responding to emergency calls as the conditions deteriorated. In Broward county, which suffered its first direct hit since the category three Hurricane King ripped through in October 1950, widespread damage was reported.

The tourist resort of Orlando was north of the worst of the weather, but big theme parks including Disney World and Universal Studios closed for the day. Up to 30,000 British tourists are estimated to be in the state.

Two teams of officials from the British consulate in Atlanta set up information desks at Orlando and Sanford airports. "It's natural that people are concerned about the safety of friends and families in the state and we're there to help in any way we can," said Helen Arbon, the deputy consul general. "We have satellite telephones so people can contact those at home if they've been unable to."

Last night Wilma was downgraded to a category two storm with winds below 100mph as it left Florida's east coast on a north-easterly path into the Atlantic."



Examiner:"About 850 people had registered yesterday at a Red Cross shelter in Germain Arena in Fort Myers, with some pitching tents and setting out mats on the still-melting ice where the Florida Everblades minor league hockey team plays."

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