Evening star., 1953-09-26
Hurricane Moves Into Florida,
Hitting Long, ThinIy Populated
Coast Area Near Panama City
All Persons Believed
To Have Been Taken
From Stricken Section
BY the Associated Press

PANAMA CITY, Fla. Sept. 26.
"A powerful gulf hurricane
swept across the Florida coast
line west of here at 10 am.
(EDT and raked a long but
thinly populated area with roar
ing hurricane winds.
Harold Parr, Associated Press
reporter telephoning from a
Long Beach cottage settlement
Is miles west of Panama City,
said winds struck with very
great force"
THE wind is shaking the
telephone booth so hard I am
getting out of here" said Mr..
Parr, breaking off his call.
Begins to Cross at 10 AM.
Grady Norton, chief storm
forecaster at Miami, confirmed
that the storm center began to
cross the coastline at 10 am.
One small settlement, Shall
mar, near Valparaiso, reported
winds of about 80 miles an hour,
but this was not definitely con-
f1rmed by experienced weather
reporters, Mr.. Norton said.
The State Highway Patrol said
it believed all resident had been
evacuated from the Long Beach
area where the storm struck.
The center of the tropical
storm thundered across an area
of small beach settlements on
a coastline indented by bays.
Inland along its course were a
number of small towns, much
forest land and a few creeks
and rivers which may swell out
of their banks with the heavy
rainfall.
Heavy Panama City Rain.
Rain fell in Panama City at
q rate of more than an inch
an hour, totaling 366 inches
in three hours as the storms
center moved slowly toward the
coast.
No late reports were received
from Apalachicola, fishing
town midway between Panama
City and the Tallahassee area,
which had been isolated by high
water. The radio telephone in
a State Highway Patrol car was
its only means of communica-
ton with the outside world.
Hundreds of persons were re-
ported in shelters along the
coastal stretch. First reports
gave information on very minor
damage-beach cottage un-
rooted. some highway. damage,
telephone and power lines down.
Most of these reports came be-
fore the storm center moved
inland.
Rains spread out ahead of the
hurricane. The Weather Bureau
reported that rain clouds were
scudding into Georgia and be-
ginning to penetrate South
Carolina.
Waves Rake Area.
High tides and pounding waves
raked Long Beach area and
at Panacea, IS miles south
southwest of Tallahassee, a pier
appeared to be breaking up and
falling apart.
Capt. Toby Bass of the State
highway patrol said waves 8 to
10 feet high pounded beaches
west of Panama City and seethed
within 100 feet of tourist cot
tageS.
At Panama City dramatic
struggle with wind and water
ended happily when a 52-foot
motorboat escaped from North
Bay into sheltered water. A
bridge blocked the boat for
time, but the State Highway De-
partment ordered the bridge
opened and the boat passed
through. The bridge was lowered
again with difficulty after two
attempts.
Reporter Parr, returning to
Panama City, said that commu-
nifty apparently was missing the
brunt of the storm.
The winds don't compare
with the blow at Long Beach,"
he said, adding that signboards
were torn up and large trees
blown down.
First of Year to Hit State.
The hurricane, named Flor
ence for the sixth letter of the
alphabet. was the first of the
year to touch Florida. OF the
other five tropical storms this
year, one hit the North Carolina
Virginia-New England area, and
two others sideswiped Bermuda,
British Atlantic island. One gave
Bermuda 120-mile guests.
Florida and Alabama National
GuardSmen stood by, ready for
relief and rescue duty, in the
event of heavy damage, but it
appeared they would not be
needed.
Hundreds of persons flocked
inland from exposed beaches in
advance of the storm. Many
(See HURRICANE. PAGE A-2O