Evening star., 1946-10-07
Florida Braces for Hurricane;
Entire West Coast Put on Alert;
Heavy Citrus Fruit Loss Feared
Storm Due Tonight
Between Tempo
And Fort Myers
by the Assoeiofed Press
BULLETIN


forecasters urged the evacua-
ton of Florida West Coast
beach areas today as a hurri-
cane-With winds of 100
miles-an-hour swept toward
Florida. W.O. Johnson, storm
forecaster, said indications
now were that the storm cen
ter would strike inland be-
tween Sarasota and Tarpon
Springs. He said winds OF hur-
ricane force would be felt at
least 40 miles inland along the
entire Florida West Coast.
MIAMI, Fla, Oct. THE en-
tire west coast of Florida was
placed on an urgent alert today
with hurricane warnings flying
as far north as Cedar Keys as
a vicious tropical storm with
winds of more than 100 miles
an hour bored into the Gulf OF
Mexico and placed Florida's
$lOO,Oo0,000 citrus crop in jeop-
ardy.
The Weather Bureau said the
present course of the hurricane viii
send it raking along the resort ano
crop p-producing section of the west
coast. The storm center which has
veered slightly in its direction a,
least twice since it surged to hur-
ricane strength, very likely will
strike the coast somewhere between
Fort Myers and Tampa, but may
howl inland north of Tampa, it was
indicated.
At 11::30 am. the center was 13(
miles due west of Key West. Tor
winds of go miles an hour at Key
West began to diminish, and unless
a radical change of direction de-
velops, the Florida Keys and the
rich Miami-Palm Beach Gold
Coast will miss anything stronger
than heavy rain squalls and moder-
ate gales.
Corp Nearing Harvest.
A record citrus crop is nearing
harvest with some picking already
going on, and a hurricane could
cause maximum damage on it at
this time
The storm gained in speed from
IL miles an hour yesterday to Is to
18 miles an hour as it approached
Florida today.
The hurricane center was placed
at 13o miles southwest OF Key West
in the last advisory, with winds OF
more than 100 miles an hour at the
core and winds of gale force ex-
tending over a 200-mile area.
Hurricane warnings were dis
pliVed from Key Largo to Cedar
Keys and storm warnings remained
up over the entire Florida penin-
sulas
Miami prepared for winds UP to
so miles an hour but indications
were that the city would miss the
full force of the storm. Precaution-
ary measures were taken to assure
a plentiful supply of food and cloth
ing in the city's 81 shelters If
needed.
Winds Drop at Key West.
e. G.. Don Graham, chairman OF
the Red Cross Disaster Relief Com
mittee here, said 60-mile-an-hour
winds were not dangerous enough
to compel opening OF the shelters
in the Miami area.
Winds upwards of so miles an hour
at Key West had dropped to q miles
an hour at 10 am, the Weather Bu-
reau said. At that time the winds
were 80 miles at Miami, IA at Tampa
and between IS and so In the Dry
Torguas.
Key West lies 157 miles south OF
Miami by the overseas highway.
Indications are the hurricane will
continue to move north or north
eastward and skirt the West Florida
coast, causing winds of hurricane
force in the lower Florida keys and
along the West Florida coast north
ward to Cedar Keys and strong
winds and gales over the rest OF the
Florida peninsula this afternoon
and tonight" the last advisory
stated.
Football Game Postponed.
The approach of the storm caused
postponement of the All-America
Conference football game here to-
night between the Miami Seahawks
and the San Francisco 49ers.
Mass evacuation of some 1000
residents of the Government sub
division, Poinciana Place, near. Key
West, was ordered before the wind
began dropping there. Navy vessels
put out to sea to ride the outskirts
OF the hurricane.
Rain squalls which 1ashed Miami
and the keys throughout yesterday
and last night continued today.
AS the storm approached the
Florida keys, feet of Red Cross
trucks. escorted by State highway
(See HURRICANE, Page A-14D
n HR