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Frances Death Toll Hits 18

Updated: 5:41 pm EDT September 7, 2004

Hurricane Frances is now blamed for 18 deaths in Florida and Georgia, while many people scratched the itch to get home.

HURRICANE KATRINA


Thousands of evacuees ignored requests to stay put until electricity can be restored and other repairs made. They jammed highways, sometimes delaying emergency workers.

Even if evacuees make it home, they'll find few places to buy supplies. Fights broke out at some locations. It could take a week to restore power to the 3 million customers still without it.

President George W. Bush surveys the damage Wednesday, and will ask Congress for $2 billion to cover urgent needs from both Frances and Charley.

Florida's chief financial officer estimates insured damage from Frances is $2 to $4 billion. Total damage is typically double the insured losses.

Officials say residents in Miami-Dade County should be fully restored by midnight Thursday. However, people in some counties may have to wait about a week before their electricity is fully restored.

There are long lines waiting for gasoline deliveries, and there's a huge demand for everything for water and ice.

The once-powerful hurricane is now a tropical depression and has dumped up to a foot of rain in Georgia. Rain is falling across Georgia and South Carolina, and parts of Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Frances' path crossed some of the area hit three weeks ago by Hurricane Charley, which killed 27 people and caused an estimated $7.4 billion in damage.

Frances dumped more than 13 inches of rain along Florida's east coast, leaving 4 feet of floodwaters in some areas. In its wake, the storm left boats mangled, trees and power lines toppled, and gas tanks running on empty because of tapped-out service stations.

Georgia Officials Track Developments Of Frances' Visit

Georgia is recording its first fatality from what had been Hurricane Frances.

The storm -- now a tropical depression -- is blamed in the death of an 18-year-old woman, whose car crashed on a rain-slick road Monday.

Heavy rains and power outages in the southern part of the state have closed 56 county school systems and two universities. At least 41,000 households are without power because of downed lines.

A trailer park in Savannah was flooded with about four feet of water. Some residents had to use canoes until the waters receded.

The storm has spawned at least three tornadoes in the state -- though none has caused significant damage -- beyond toppling trees.

Remnants To Rain On North Carolina

Flooding rains are expected Tuesday in the mountains of western North Carolina.

Forecasters are predicting up to eight inches of rain around Asheville before the remnants of Hurricane Frances move out.

The National Weather Service says there could be flash flooding in creeks and low-lying areas.

There's also a threat of tornadoes.

Frances Doesn't Spare Kennedy Space Center

No storm in history has done more damage to the Kennedy Space Center than Hurricane Frances did.

Officials at the Florida facility say the storm tore about 1,000 exterior panels from the Vehicle Assembly Building.

James Kennedy, the director of the space center, said the missing panels have left 40,000 square feet of "open window" on two sides of the building. But he said he's relieved that the space center was spared even worse damage.

No space shuttles were inside the damaged building, but Kennedy said he's afraid the damage could set back NASA's plans to resume shuttle launches next spring.

Detailed Forecast

3 - Day Forecast
Sun
Clear
56
Mon
Rain
56
Tue
Clearing
51
Severe Weather Team 2
Brad Nitz
Brad Nitz, AMS Certified Meteorologist, weekends.
More Details

North Fulton County
From Meteorologist Brad Nitz:

Red Flag Fire Warning

Today from Noon to 7 pm for high fire danger. Please delay or take extra care with leaf burning.

A chance of rain returns on Monday, some of the rain could mix with sleet or snow very early Monday or very late Monday.

Today: Sunny and cool, high in the mid 50s.

Monday: Mostly cloudy, showers likely. Some rain could change over to sleet or snow over parts of the North Georgia mountains very early Monday and late Monday night. Low in the upper 30s, high in the mid 50s.

Tuesday: Becoming mostly sunny and cool. Low near 40, high in the low 50s.

Wednesday: Sunny. Low in the low 30s, high in the low 50s.

Thanksgiving Day: Mostly sunny. Low in the low to mid 30s, high in the mid to upper 50s.

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