Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Shut Down At 1900

Floridians once again are "hunkering down" in a ritual that's become all too familiar. There's a hurricane lurking out there and no flyer is safe until it passes.

"This hurricane has worsened, just as we expected it to do," county mayor Kristin Jacobs said. "As the evening progresses, it's going to get worse." Jacobs was quoted by the Orlando Sun-Sentinel.

Both major airports in the path of Hurricane Katrina closed at 1900 Thursday night, stranding thousands of passengers. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International and Miami International both canceled all inbound and outbound flights and told passengers that the terminals weren't storm shelters. In other words, they were forced to ride the Category 1 storm out somewhere else.

Travellers were told to expect waits of up to seven hours at local shelters or hotels -- the time forecasters expected it would take for Katrina to pass.  A skeleton crew remained at the airport to help facilitate reopening as soon as conditions allowed. If the terminals or infrastructure sustain damage in the storm, delays could last much longer.

Even before the storm bore down on the South Florida coast, airlines were fleeing in advance of the storm. Spirit flew its last plane out of Fort Lauderdale at 1500. It canceled 15 flights Thursday night and 16 on Friday.

"Once we get through the next few hours," county mayor Jacobs told the Sun-Sentinel, "the worst should be over."

FMI: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov