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Date Published: September 2, 2004
Locals prepare for Frances
Residents buy emergency supplies; officials believe area
might miss bulk of storm
By RANDY BURNS
Item Staff Writer
rburns@theitem.com
The future path of Hurricane Frances remains uncertain.
However the latest information available from the National Hurricane
Center on Wednesday afternoon indicated the tri-county area might be
spared from the worst of the Category 4 hurricane.
"Right
now, the current track has the storm hitting the central Florida
coast midday Saturday," said Vic Jones, director of public safety
for Sumter County. "I can see it impacting our weather here, but I
don't see any public safety consequences at this time. People should
still be watching this very closely. The error cone is still large.
It could still come to the north, but right now it looks like it's
going to be a Florida storm. I feel for the people in that area. The
same people that were hit hard by (Hurricane) Charley may be hit
again."
Residents of Sumter, Clarendon and Lee counties are
wasting no time preparing for Frances' possible arrival. With the
storm about three days away from potentially impacting the weather
in the tri-county area, residents flocked to area stores Wednesday
afternoon stocking up on emergency items.
"They're asking for
generators," said Lynn Kinard, assistant manager at the Wal-Mart
SuperCenter on Broad Street. "And they're buying all the bottled
water they can get their hands on."
Chris Jordan, assistant
manager at Simpson's Hardware in Manning, said business was brisk
considering the storm is more than a thousand miles away from the
state.
"People aren't frantic," Jordan said. "Everybody knows
it's a Category 4 storm. I expect if it stays on track and looks
like it's coming this way, then it's really going to be busy
Thursday and Friday."
Jordan said popular items for customers
include lamp and kerosene oil, lanterns, flashlights and batteries.
"They're doing basic repairs and making sure they have light," he
said.
|
.jpg)
AP Photo
Beachgoers walk along
the shore at Miami Beach, Wednesday afternoon as a stiff
breeze churns the surf of the Atlantic Ocean behind them. |
| Customers at Jared's Hardware
in Bishopville had the weather on their minds
Wednesday.
"Most people coming in here today are talking
about the storm," said Ben Roberts, a salesperson. "We've sold a
generator, and we don't usually sell one of those. And we've sold
batteries, lanterns and flashlights."
Marie Smith, co-owner
of Jared's Hardware, said the active hurricane season has caused
warehouses to be depleted of important emergency
items.
"There's not one generator at the Ace (Hardware)
warehouse in Gainesville, Georgia," she said. "And lots of other
emergency items are in short supply. The demand in Florida has been
great. Now, production of these items is going strong, but it's hard
to keep up with the demand."
Residents in Clarendon County
have been contacting the emergency management office for
information.
"We've received quite a few phone calls today,"
said Anthony Mack, emergency operations director. "Because of the
uncertainty of the storm track, the best thing for people to do is
to get ready. As time draws nearer, it will become clearer. But
we're dealing with nature; you've got to be
prepared."
Residents are encouraged to check emergency
supplies. Keep phones, batteries, chargers and other equipment in a
dry, accessible location. Maintain a list of emergency phone
numbers: police, fire and rescue agencies, power companies,
insurance providers, family, friends and co-workers.
Tres
Atkinson, emergency management officer in Lee County, said he
expects to have a meeting of all response providers in the county
this afternoon if conditions warrant.
"I've sent a memo to
everybody," Atkinson said. "We will take a look at the 11 o'clock
advisory Thursday and decide if we need to get together. At this
time, there's just no telling what's going to happen. There's so
many different tracks out there. We just have to wait and
see."
Contact Staff Writer Randy Burns at rburns@theitem.com or
803-491-4533.
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September 3, 2004 
