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Online Bible |
1 Corinthians 15:9
For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
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Posted by: Shawn on Thursday, October 20, 2005 - 10:57 PM
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Wilma could regain Category 5 status overnight, please pray
Hurricane Wilma is gaining strength as it approaches Mexico's Caribbean beach resorts, with forecasters predicting it could regain Category 5 status overnight.
Wilma, with maximum sustained winds of about 240 km/h, is churning toward the Yucatan peninsula and south Florida after hitting Haiti and Jamaica, where it killed at least 13 people.
As Wilma's outer edge neared Mexico, roaring waves were pounding beach resorts, where any remaining tourists were taking shelter from powerful wind gusts.
"Some strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours," the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a public advisory Thursday afternoon.
"Wilma could regain Category 5 strength as it approaches the Yucatan tonight."
Wilma weakened slightly earlier in the day, but was still a powerful Category 4 storm, packing winds of 233 km/h by late morning.
At 7 p.m. E.T., Wilma was centred 195 km southeast of Mexico's Cozumel Island, and moving northwest at 8 km/h.
"This general motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours," the hurricane centre said in its statement.
"On the forecast track, the centre of Wilma will be very near the coastline of the Yucatan by midday tomorrow. However, Wilma has a large circulation and hurricane conditions will be felt well before the arrival of the centre."
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people from Honduras to Cuba are also evacuating ahead of the "extremely dangerous" storm.
All residents have been told to evacuate the island of Isla Mujeres near Cancun, while authorities are ordering thousands more to leave low-lying areas in Cuba, Belize, Honduras, Jamaica, Haiti and the Cayman Islands.
"This is getting very powerful, very threatening," Mexican President Vicente Fox said.
Hundreds of schools in the Yucatan peninsula were ordered closed Thursday and Friday, and many were turned into shelters.
At the Cancun airport, hundreds of tourists sought flights, rental cars, taxis, while guests at luxury hotels were shuttled to emergency shelters.
In Cuba, whose tip is about 209 km east of Cancun, officials said more than 200,000 people evacuated their homes by midday, most from low-lying areas in the island's west.
Wilma could regain strength before hitting Cancun, Mexico, and its surrounding resorts early Friday, and then turning northeast toward Florida, where it's forecast to hit sometime Sunday.
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Jeb Bush has declared a state of emergency, ordering mass evacuations ahead of the approaching storm.
Across Florida's southwest coast, people are putting up shutters and waiting in ever-growing lines at gas stations, while officials evacuate tourists from the low-lying Florida Keys.
Gov. Bush's declaration gives officials the ability to activate the National Guard and authority over evacuation plans and the distribution of recovery supplies.
"We have a great system in place, FEMA is also here for which we're really grateful," Gov. Bush told a press briefing.
Briefly the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record, Wilma was a Category 5 storm before weakening.
At one stage, Wilma was confirmed as the strongest hurricane ever recorded. The U.S. National Hurricane Center has warned it remains "potentially catastrophic."
Wilma could "cause tremendous damage and loss of life if we're not careful," said Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield Thursday.
"The storm surge and the wave action will be tremendous with this hurricane, given the intensity and the size."
Wilma's confirmed pressure readings early Wednesday dropped to 882 millibars, the lowest minimum pressure ever measured in a hurricane in the Americas, according to the hurricane center. Lower pressure translates into higher wind speed.
Wilma is the record-tying 12th hurricane of the Atlantic season, the same number reached in 1969. Records have been kept since 1851.
On Monday, Wilma became the Atlantic hurricane season's 21st named storm, tying the record set in 1933 and exhausting the list of names for this year.
The hurricane season ends on Nov. 30.
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