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Date Posted: 12:09:21 10/21/05 Fri
Author: Barry
Subject: Hurricane Wilma

WILMA SLAMS INTO THE YUCATAN
Posted: Friday, October 21, 2005 at 2:29 PM EDT

The eye of Hurricane Wilma has passed over the resort island of Cozumel, Mexico as the slow moving Category 4 hurricane continues to pound the resort island and the northeastern tip of the Yucatan peninsula with winds reaching 145 mph. The eye is expected to pass over the northeastern tip of the Yucatan peninsula tonight.

AccuWeather.com meteorologists say Wilma could regain strength and become a category 5 storm before making landfall on the Yucatan peninsula.

Mexico's civil defense officials say nearly 52,000 people have been evacuated from the Yucatan, including 10,000 tourists in Cancun, but close to 1,000 tourists were unable to leave Thursday before the airport closed. Cuban officials evacuated more than 360,000 residents, mostly from the western end of the island most at risk from Wilma.

The storm is expected to dump close to 2' of rain on western Cuba and the Yucatan, but mountainous regions of Cuba could get close to 40" of rain before Sunday.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush Thursday declared a State of Emergency. Mandatory evacuations of the Florida Keys begin at noon today, a day later than originally planned. There is also a mandatory evacuation order for residents of Collier County, including part of Naples and Marco Island. AccuWeather.com's Eye Path (TM) shows Wilma should arrive in South Florida early on Monday.

Hurricane Wilma may never reach New England, but that's not stopping emergency officials from alerting residents of the potential for more devastating rain in the region. New Hampshire Department of Emergency Management spokesman Jim Van Dongen says there's little "wiggle room" because water levels are already high from rain received over the past couple of weeks.

HURRICANE-RELATED JOB LOSSES CLOSE TO 1/2 MILLION

The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that another 40,000 Americans filed unemployment claims last week that were a direct result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. WThe weekly increase in hurricane-related claims was down sharply from a 75,000 jump just two weeks ago, but the hurricanes have helped the unemployment rate soar to 2.89 million, the highest level in more than a year.

Economists are encouraged that the jobless rate has remained steady in other parts of the country, in spite of the hurricanes and the increase in energy prices due to the shutdown of Gulf Coast refineries and oil platforms.

— Barry

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Replies:

Hurricane Keeps Up Strength as It Tears Through Florida -- Barry, 12:29:26 10/24/05 Mon