The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida • Page 1

Nn'A dolphins cancel work, A 4 CUTS, BRACE FOR STORM I1 11111 BAD TIMES, WORSE BOSSES; YEARS OF MIAMI LUCK RUN OUT: 7A KEY WEST BARS BOARD UP: 7A HOW TO RATE YOURS WHERE TO GO FOR SHELTER: 8A WHERE TO GO FOR HELP: 8A BUSINESS DAY ONE HURRICANE GUSTS Hurricane gusts, wind, rain and floods expected. Wind and rain diminishing by tonight. Highs near 84. WEATHER, 2A rhe Palm Beach Post MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 1992 FINAL EDITION 4 74 PAGES 35 CENTS Almost 1 million South Floridians are ordered to flee as Hurricane Andrew bears down with Category 4 intensity, making it the second most powerful storm to hit the state this century. JUJ Winds rake Bahamas, hit 1 50 mph fA jF By GARY KANE Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Hurricane Andrew trained its destructive force on South Florida Sunday after steamrolling through the Bahamas, where 120-mph winds left four reported deaths and untold damage.

The storm would be the second most intense to strike the state this century. Forecasters expected the hurricane to hit the mainland before dawn today and continue a wind and water surge through the afternoon and night. A hurricane warning is in effect for the Southeast Florida coast and Keys including Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Dade, Broward, De-Soto and Glades counties. Storm warnings are also in effect for Lake Okeechobee and Collier counties.

Evacuations wei-e recommended for Charlotte, Heridry, Lee, Manatee, Sarasota and Polk counties. At 10 p.m. the center of Andrew was estimated at latitude 25.4 north and longitude 77.9 west, about 150 miles east of Miami and continuing toward the west at 16 mph. The storm is expected to lose little strength crossing the peninsula. Gov.

Lawton Chiles declared an emergency early Sunday, alerting the National Guard, activating a statewide disaster response network and ordering 1 million people evacuated from a region spanning the Dry Tortugas in the Florida Keys to Broward County. Evacuations were later ordered in Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties. An estimated 898,000 people are considered "at risk" should they ignore evacuation orders issued in seven counties, state officials said. Like several analysts, Chiles Please see WINDS9A After The Storm When is it safe to go outside? Remain indoors until an 'all clear' is given.

Listen to radios for instructions. WJNO (1230AM for Palm Beach County, 1330AM for the Treasure Coast) is the official emergency broadcast station. Fallen electrical lines pose a danger, particularly those in standing water. Don't drive unless necessary. Watch for broken roads, fallen power lines and weakened bridges.

To prevent the spread of disease, avoid walking in water. Flooded septic tanks are a sanitation problem. Hepatitis is common after floods. When can I return home? Do not return until the Office of Emergency Management has announced that your area is ready. You may be required to present proof of residency.

If your home has structural damage, do not go in until it is checked by officials. Each county has plans to certify buildings for safety. What if my electricity is off? FPL says to assume that electricity will not be restored for 24 hours or longer if winds were severe. Do not report interruptions in electric, gas, water or telephone. Utility companies have plans to restore service as quickly as possible.

FPL asks residents to report downed electrical lines. Report individual trouble only after service has been restored in your neighborhood. When will schools be open? Schools are closed today. A decision will be made today on whether to open Tuesday. What if I need emergency medical help? If telephone service is available, dial 91 1 for life-threatening emergencies only.

Otherwise, contact police and Red Cross damage assessment teams who will be canvassing street by street immediately after the storm. What if I have no water? The health department may order a boil-water order immediately after the hurricane passes. It would remain in effect for at least 72 hours. During this time, use only your pre-stored water for drinking or cooking. If you did not store sufficient water and must use water from a tap, strain the water through a paper towel or several layers of thick cloth to remove dirt.

To purify it, boil for at least 10 minutes at a rolling boil. Add a bit of salt to improve the taste. The Red Cross also recommends eight drops of normal household bleach to purify 1 gallon of water. Use 16 drops to purify a gallon of cloudy water. Mix the water and bleach thoroughly and let it stand for 30 minutes.

The water should have a slight chlorine smell. If it does not, repeat the procedure and let stand another 15 minutes. Never use bleach containing soap. What foods should I avoid? Refrigerated and frozen foods can last up to three days without power, but check for spoilage before using any food from the refrigerator. When power is restored, you can refreeze meats and some frozen foods that still have ice crystals in them, but use them within a month.

Do not refreeze fish, shellfish, poultry, vegetables, ice cream or any frozen milk or cream product. Don't eat poultry if discolored or foul-smelling. Do not eat meat and fish products, mayonnaise or milk products if they have been at room temperature. What other dangers exist after the storm? Careless use of equipment causes most post-storm injuries. Be careful with open flames.

Never use gas grills inside your house; there is danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. Be extremely careful cutting fallen trees. Do not cut trees or limbs that are touching or even near power lines. Report gas leaks by dialing 91 1 Updates '11' FOR LATEST news reports on Hurricane Andrew, dial 820-4567, extension ANDY (2639). FOR LOCAL weather fore-casts on The Palm Beach PosfChannel 5 Weather Watch, dial 820-4567, extension 5555.

Because of the large number of calls, there may be some delays. V'''T LANNIS WATERSStaff Photographer Evacuating the Florida Keys, cars snake northbound along U.S. 1 on the Long Key Bridge about 3 p.m. Sunday. An estimated 898,000 people were ordered evacuated.

Officials said they were in danger if they ignored the order. Inside 200,000 evacuated in Palm Beach County Trtusville 28c FLORIDA Bahamas Islands Grand Fort Pierce West 1 Paim Beach IRAQ WARNING The U.S. and its Gulf War allies plan to warn Iraqi aircraft to stay out of southern Iraq. STORY, 2A AIDS PROTEST Protesters greet Vice President Dan Quayle during his bus tour of central Florida. STORY, 3A ANN ABBY 2D LETTERS 11 A BLACKBURN 12A LOTTERY 2A CLASSIFIEDS 5B OBITUARIES 4B EDITORIALS 12A PEOPLE 2A FLA.

NEWS 3B THOM SMITH ID DAVE GEORGE 1C TV SPORTS 2C MOVIES, TV LISTINGS ACCENT Vol. 84 No. 138 1992 The Palm Beach Post 5 Sections FOR HOME DELIVERY SERVICE 8204663 1 800 654 1231 Bahama Fort Myers 27 Aljacoi The evacuation of the county's barrier islands, mobile home parks and flood prone areas was ordered at 1:30 p.m. by county officials. Most people complied, said police spokesmen for the county's coastal towns and cities.

Briny Breezes' approximately 387 residents, all of whom live in mobile homes, were gone by 12:30 p.m. "We've been meeting every two weeks since May preparing for a hurricane," said Max Weaver, manager of Briny Breeze Mobile Home Park. "When we hit someone who is any little bit stubborn, we ask them for the name of their next of kin and a phone number. That's when it would sink in." But some decided to take their chances. Charles and Zora Eaton of Gulf Stream had valuable art and rugs destroyed when Hurricane Hugo hit another home in Puerto Rico.

They said they could have saved most of the property if they had stayed. "Wehave a lot of things here and I'd rather be here also to rescue them," Eaton said. Around the county: Prisoners in Palm Beach County jail 'Naples CI By SCOTT G. CAMPBELL, MEG JAMES and ELIZABETH AOKI Palm Beach Post Staff Writers About 200,000 Palm Beach County residents fled their homes Sunday, seeking sanctuary as Hurricane Andrew poised to smash densely populated South Florida. Traffic snarled and there were scattered accidents with minor injuries.

But as of 9 p.m., there were no deaths resulting from the county's evacuation, said B.T. Kennedy, director of emergency management. "Things aren't going perfectly," he said. "But every time there's been a problem we've been able to handle it." The biggest problem has been nursing homes "dumping" patients into Red Cross shelters or the county's special care unit, Kennedy said. This is a violation of their permits and will be turned over to the state for investigation after the storm passes, Kennedy said.

Some hospitals also tried to refer patients to the county's care unit, which they are supposed to do only if they are at capacity, Kennedy said. "We're going to analyze everything that happened when the storm is over and see what we can, learn," Kennedy said. Miami 26c I Bimini Islands Gun of Mexico 8 p.m. Sunday p.m.T Sunday Atlantic Ocean Andros Island 25 Nassau it Key West TIME: 8 p.m. Sunday WINDS: 145 MPH LATITUDE: 25.4 North LONGITUDE: 77.3 West 100 Miles WE RECYCLE For information, call 1-800-432-7695 7 ext.

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