From: clarinews@clarinet.com (GENE MEARNS)
Newsgroups: biz.clarinet.sample,clari.news.weather,clari.news.disaster
Followup-to: biz.clarinet.sample
Subject: Hurricane Andrew aims fury at Gulf states
Keywords: general weather, weather, municipal goverment, government,
	severe weather, trouble
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 92 17:49:54 PDT
ACategory: national
Slugword: andrew
Priority: regular
Format: breaking
ANPA: Wc: 490; Id: z7176; Sel: xxnww; Adate: 8-25-850ped; Ver: 14/0; V: ld
Codes: ynwwbxx., yngcbxx., ynbwbxx., xxxxxxxx

	NEW ORLEANS (UPI) -- Hurricane force winds roared over low-lying
coastal areas of southeast and south central Louisiana late Tuesday as
nearly 2 million people fled to higher ground to escape deadly Hurricane
Andrew.
	The Category 4 hurricane, which killed 14 people in Florida and
another three in the Bahamas earlier this week, is the strongest storm
to threaten Louisiana since Camille killed 256 people and caused $1.4
billion in damage in 1969.
	The National Hurricane Center at Coral Gables, Fla., said the 
``hurricane force'' winds of more than 74 mph extended outward up to 70
miles from the center of the hurricane. Andrew's highest winds were
still about 140 mph.
	At 6 pm CDT, the center of the storm was located near latitude 28.5
degrees north and longitude 90.4 degrees west, or about 105 miles south
of New Orleans and 155 miles southeast of Lafayette on the central
Louisiana coast.
	The forecasters said Andrew was moving toward the northwest at a
little slower speed, 13 mph, and further decrease in forward speed was
possible during the night before the eye of the hurricane crosses the
coastline.
	Hurricane warnings were posted from Pascagoula, Miss., westward
through the Bolivar Penisula on the Texas coast southeast of Houston.
	Earlier Tuesday, a Coast Guard helicopter rescued four people and two
dogs from a disabled 65-foot fishing vessel struggling in rough seas
from Hurricane Andrew, 50 miles south of Houma, La. They were reported
in good condition.
	Louisiana officials ordered or recommended evacuation of 11 coastal
parishes, which would affect 1.8 million people. Evacuations of
thousands more were underway from Sabine Pass to Port Bolivar on the
upper Texas coast.
	Wallace Stickney, director of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, said U.S. storm damage already is in the billions of dollars and
could break records if Andrew comes ashore again.
	``If it goes ashore in New Orleans or does significant damage in the
New Orleans area, it could be one of the storms of the century before
we're done,'' he said.
	Andrew's 165-mph winds left a shambles of smashed houses, businesses
and trailer homes, uprooted trees, flooded streets and downed power
lines in south Florida when it struck early Monday. An estimated 50,000
are homeless.
	New Orleans Mayor Sidney Barthelemy said Tuesday the latest forecasts
appeared to indicate the city might be spared the brunt of Andrew's
fury, but he cautioned residents the track could still change at the
last minute.
	``From all indications, it seems the storm is heading west,'' he
said. ``It seems we will be spared from getting a direct hit.''
	Bob Sheets, director of the National Hurricane Center in Coral
Gables, Fla., said the core or strongest winds of the hurricane, which
caused severe damage south of Miami, will likely go west of New Orleans.
Xref: sparky biz.clarinet.sample:2221 clari.news.disaster:76 clari.news.weather:74 clari.news.top:320