Ivan Smashes Gulf States, Death Toll Rises to 23

MIAMI, Florida, September 17, 2004 (ENS) - Hurricane Ivan walloped Florida and Alabama yesterday and moved off north-northeast leaving 23 people dead in its path. In all, since it struck Grenada on September 7, the hurricane has killed 70 people across the Caribbean.

More than two million residents along a 300 mile stretch of the Gulf Coast from New Orleans to Panama City, Florida left their homes to take shelter in schools, churches, libraries, and government buildings.

Boats tossed up on the shore near Milton, Florida by Hurricane Ivan (Photo courtesy U.S. Coast Guard)

The resort destination of Panama City, Florida took the brunt of Hurricane Ivan. Houses, condos and businesses were shredded and more than one million people are without power this morning. Utilities say it could be as long as three weeks before power is restored.

President George W. Bush has issued disaster declarations for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama for damages related to Hurricane Ivan. The President plans to visit Alabama and Florida to survey the damage on Sunday, the White House said.

Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry said, "Teresa and I offer our heartfelt prayers for all those affected by Hurricane Ivan. To the families in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi who are facing such great loss and devastation, our deepest sympathies are with you. Our thoughts are also with those still bracing for the storm and with those charged with the difficult work of recovery. You have the support of the entire nation."

The storm made landfall early Thursday morning near Mobile, Alabama and is expected to move over northwestern Georgia and southeastern Tennessee today. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 60 miles per hour with higher gusts. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 105 miles from the center.

Residents throughout the southeastern United States must prepare for the heavy rains accompanying Ivan, and severe flooding is expected in several states, National Hurricane Center forecasters say.

On Thursday Ivan spawned deadly and destructive tornadoes and eroded beaches all along the Gulf coast. In Alabama many roads are closed by landslides and flood waters, the state Transportation Department advises. Downed trees entangled with power lines are blocking dozens of coastal roads.

The I-10 bridge near Milton collapsed under stress from pounding surf and fierce winds. US 98 over the Escambia River is closed in Pensacola, due to bridge damage caused by Ivan, and transportation officials are discouraging all non-emergency road travel to and through Pensacola.

Hurricane Ivan destroyed a section of the I-10 bridge and an unlucky truck caught when the road was sheared away. (Photo courtesy U.S. Coast Guard)

The Coast Guard Captain of the Port for New Orleans has reopened the lower Mississippi River with the exception of Southwest Pass to mile marker 45 which remains closed to vessel traffic. There are no reports of pollution on the Mississippi River.

An exhausted Florida Governor Jeb Bush warned people to take care in the aftermath of the hurricane as downed power lines and flooded streets still pose hazards.

As she flew over the Louisiana coast to survey the damage on Thursday, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco breathed a sigh of relief that the hurricane did not veer even slightly to the west. New Orleans, which lies eight feet below sea level, was spared.

Mike Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said from the Alabama Emergency Operations Center, "It is amazing to be in the middle of a hurricane. We went to Baton Rouge yesterday and then flew to Alabama just ahead of the storm so we could be in position when the storm hit."

"Being here has been like being in a giant tornado," said Brown, "with debris flying, people being evacuated on the Interstates, seeing the rain come down horizontally, feeling the wind which can knock you off your feet, seeing the concern and the worry in people's faces, but also seeing the determination and the eagerness of the people in the Emergency Operation Center to help victims."

"It is seeing the best of America under the worst of circumstances," said Brown.

Nearly 5,000 National Guard soldiers have been mobilized for relief, and the Department of Health and Human Services has sent emergency medical teams to the storm-struck area.

In the largest storm response operation in its 123 year history, the American Red Cross is coordinating a massive effort focusing initially on providing safety and shelter for those now homeless, as well as food and dry clothing to tens of thousands of people.

At the moment, hundreds of trained disaster volunteers are converging on the affected areas, moving through damaged neighborhoods offering food and drinks to storm-weary residents. The Red Cross will also be providing cleanup kits and other relief supplies.

With 90 percent of its customers without electricity, Gulf Power Company began working to pick up the pieces of Northwest Florida’s electric system Thursday.

“It’s catastrophic,” Gulf Power spokesman John Hutchinson said. “The electric system it has taken us 80 years to build was basically destroyed in eight hours last night.”

The company began a comprehensive damage assessment Thursday, using helicopters in the air and trucks on the ground.

“Before the storm we said it could take us three weeks or longer to get everyone back up," said Hutchinson. "Unfortunately, that appears to be an accurate prediction, perhaps even a conservative estimate.”

Gulf Power has 1,579 miles of transmission lines – the very large lines that bring power from the generating plants to population centers. Of that 790 miles have been destroyed. Of the 249 main feeders the company operates, 211 were out of service.

Customers should not expect to see utility trucks in their neighborhoods for days because crews must first restore power to the main lines that bring electricity to subdivisions.

"It does us no good to repair the lines in your neighborhood if the lines bringing power to your area are damaged," Hutchinson said. "Don’t expect to see us until we have the main feeders and substations up and running. That will take many days after a category four or five storm."

Alabama Governor Bob Riley discusses Hurricane Ivan with Emergency Operations Center personnel at the Alabama Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday. (Photo by Kevin Glackmeyer courtesy Office of the Governor)

Alabama Power says all of its dams are in good shape and company crews are monitoring water levels in the reservoirs behind the dams and making discharge adjustments to help address river flooding.

Utilities in Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Texas, Louisiana, Wisconsin and New Mexico have committed crews to assist with power restoration to the region. Those crews are en route to the stricken area, and the first crews should begin arriving this morning.

Alabama Power offers these lifesaving instructions in the aftermath of the storm. Stay away from downed lines. Warn others to do the same. Beware of lines that are touching a vehicle. Stay away from the vehicle and the line. Do not drive over power lines lying on the road, and do not drive under low hanging lines. Keep children and pets away from downed lines. Always assume a downed power line is live. Avoid pooled water that appears to be close to a downed power line. Do not attempt to remove tree limbs or anything else caught in power lines.

There are 75 days left in the 2004 hurricane season and more bad weather is on the way for the southeastern United States.

"Unfortunately hurricane season does not end until November 1," said FEMA Director Brown. "It appears we have another hurricane forming in the Caribbean, Hurricane Jeanne."

Now classified as a tropical storm by the National Weather Service, Jeanne was located about 65 miles to the northeast of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic early this morning, about 835 miles to the east-southeast of Miami.

A welcome sign of help (Photo courtesy American Red Cross)

Brown has appointed William L. Carwile, III of FEMA to coordinate the federal relief effort for Hurricane Ivan.

Carwile said that those in the counties designated for aid to affected residents and business owners can begin the disaster application process by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will be available 24-hours a day, seven days a week until further notice.

Florida environmental authorities are lifting the usual regulatory requirements in an effort to accelerate restoration as people begin to rebuild after this latest storm.

“As the state once again begins recovering from a major hurricane, this emergency authorization will bring faster relief to communities affected by Hurricane Ivan,” said Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Colleen Castille. “By reducing regulatory process and increasing flexibility, affected counties will be able to recover from damage and restore critical services quickly.”

The 60 day emergency authorization applies to governments, businesses and property owners across eight counties, allowing immediate rebuilding of damaged structures without prior notification to the DEP.

The order is intended to expedite the repair of drinking water and wastewater facilities, along with cleanup of hurricane-generated debris and the restoration of natural areas such as dune systems, waterways and wetlands.

Field authorizations will be required to replace destroyed structures; alter mangroves; restore uplands, wetlands and submerged lands unless a local, regional or state government; and for other DEP authorized activities not specified in the order.

The emergency authorization covers hurricane recovery activities across Bay, Escambia, Franklin, Gulf, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Washington and Walton counties. Other areas may be added to the order as tropical weather continues to impact the state. Extensions to the 60 day order may be granted if contractors or supplies are not available.

One of the worst hurricanes to hit the Caribbean region in the past decade, Ivan has left thousands homeless and decimated the infrastructure of Grenada, Jamaica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. As the situation evolves, the tragic scale of the damage inflicted by the hurricane is becoming clearer.

World Bank President James Wolfensohn said, "Our disaster management staff arrived in the affected countries immediately in the hurricane's wake, and will continue to work around the clock until we have a full picture of what needs to be done."

United Nations agencies are also working to bring relief to hurrican victims across the region.