MIAMI -- Hurricane Dennis came ashore at
around 2:25 CDT midway between Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach,
Fla., according to forecasters at the National Hurricane Center
(NHC).
Earlier in the day, the
storm was a very formidable Category 4 hurricane but came ashore a
dangerous but weakened Category 3 hurricane with winds of around
120 mph.
A little more than one
hour after the storm made landfall, Dennis further weakened to a
Category 2 storm, with sustained winds of 105 mph; by 7 p.m. CDT,
the storm was down to a Category 1 storm, with sustained winds of
80 mph, and was forecast to drop to a tropical storm
overnight.
Dennis is expected to dump
up to four to eight inches of rain across the southern U.S. with up
to 12 inches locally; storm surge flooding in the 10 to 15 foot
range can be expected as well as dangerous battering waves. In
addition, tornado warnings also are in effect for much of the
Florida Panhandle and Alabama Gulf Coast area.
According to press
reports, up to 119,000 homes and businesses in the effected area
were without power immediately following landfall and up to 500,000
in three states were still without power the next day. Gulf Power
Co., the main power company for Pensacola, Fla., and the western
Panhandle, warned its 400,000 customers to be prepared to be
without power for parts of up to three weeks.
News reports had damage
limited to downed trees and wires; some structural damage to roofs
and buildings; beach erosion; and some damage to boats in the area
marinas.
Monetary damages are
estimated in the $1 billion to $2.5 billion range, according to AIR
Worldwide Corp. of Boston. In addition, Dennis was blamed for at
least 20 deaths in the Caribbean and two in the U.S. -- one in
Florida and one in Georgia.
Meanwhile, a fifth
tropical depression -- to be named Emily if it holds form -- is
gaining strength out in the Atlantic, with sustained winds of 35
mph. If it stays on course, forecasters expect it to head in the
general direction of the Caribbean and Florida over the next
several days.
To contact
TravelWeekly.coms Managing Editor Kimberly Scholz, send e-mail to
[email protected].