The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida • Page 20

Hurricane Floyd CENTRAL FLO SI 3 Orlando Sentinel, Tuesday, September 14, 1999 A-13 Storm terminology Tropical-storm watch: Issued when a tropical storm, with sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph, threatens to strike a coastal area within 36 hours. Tropical-storm warning: Issued when sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph are expected to hit a specified coastal area within 24 hours. Hurricane watch: Issued when a hurricane, with sustained winds of 74 mph or more, threatens to strike a coastal area within 36 hours. i 1 0 i i I 1 i f' "1 ft I i Find the corresponding latitude number on the chart and then follow the horizontal line to the vertical line corresponding to the proper longitude number. Place a dot where these numbers intersect.

Mark the date and time. Norfolk Cape Hatteras Hurricane warning: issued when sustained winds of 74 mph or more are expected to strike a specified coastal area within 24 hours. You are going to feel the storm, either as a direct hit or glancing blow. Cape Fear Myrtle Beach Charleston Mobile New Orleans, Houston Savannah Jacksonville Orlando Tampa Miami '1 23? Hurricane Floyd 8 p.m. Monday Brownsville Tampico MEXICO GUATEMALA Tracking a storm The National Hurricane Center in Miami-Dade County issues advisories at midnight, 6 a.m., noon BELIZE HONDURAS EL SALVADOR NICARAGUA COSTA RICA and 6 p.m.

whenever it is tracking a tropical depression, tropical storm or hurricane. Additional advisories are issued every three hours after the storm is within 24 hours of hitting land. An advisory includes the storm's location, intensity, direction and speed. Most radio and television PANAMA 1 stations broadcast these advisories. A storm's location is expressed as map coordinates in degrees latitude (18 degrees north, for example) and degrees longitude (74 degrees west, for example).

GUYANA hoov 92 Builders rush to clear construction sites 'J i v. 1 1 Nassau BAHAMAS CUBA HAITI JAMAICA COLOMBIA 76 72 pounds on the ground. Olin said hotel visitors are not likely to see drywall and doors flying through the air because of the precautions that builders take. Even though commercial contractors can usually secure their mini-hardware stores, home builders typically have too much material scattered around too many places for them to stow it all. Olin said that anyone who can see a construction site from his home should have a "more heightened sense of awareness" about the potential for danger.

In neighborhoods, where housing construction sites give Mother Nature plenty of ammunition, builders were busy all day Monday hauling away trash and trying to move piles of lumber inside unfinished houses. Some builders said they had been fielding calls from neighbors who feared that a 2-by-4 from a construction site could end up piercing their windows. "As far as houses go, we're trying to clean up the subdivisions of debris and trash, trying to remove as many things that could be projectiles as possible," said Ben Hotels Most are full. Shelters Open at 8 a.m. today: Winter Springs High School, 130 Tuskawilla Road; Lake Mary High School, 655 Longwood-Lake Mary Road; Highlands Elementary (for special needs only) 1600 Shepard Road, Winter Springs; Sanlando United Methodist Church (for dogs less than 100 pounds, cats and their owners), 1890 State Road 434, Longwood (Bring pets in carriers with food and SCC.

Fine Arts Center, (for family members of county employees), 100 Weldon Sanford. Employers Nonessential county employees will be sent home today at noon and will be off Wednesday. Call division managers with questions. Postal employees are working. AAA, call (407)444-8999; Siemens: call (407)942-8011; First USA: (407)771-2101; Phoenix International: (407) 548-5444.

Volusia County Hotels Most west-side hotels are full today and Wednesday. Check for rooms at the Holly House Motel in Holly Hill, (904) 673-8826; the Tangerine Inn in DeLand, (904)985-4224; and the Howry Manor Holiday Suites in DeLand, (904) 736-2483. Shelters Open: Atlantic High School, 1250 Reed Canal Road in 2-f I 1 16f A' -3 12 THE ORLANDO Other private (Seminole) Page Private School: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The Harbor School: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The Master's Academy: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Longwood Montessori School: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Sweetwater Episcopal Academy: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Altamonte Christian School: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Other private (Osceola) Trinity Lutheran: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Heartland Preparatory: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Heritage Christian: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. First United Methodist: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Other private (Brevard) St. Mark's Academy: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES: University of Florida: Closed as of 3 p.m.

Tuesday and through Wednesday. (Orange) University of Central Florida: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Rollins College: Winter Park campus open Tuesday; Brevard, campus closed. Valencia Community College: Closed Tuesday. (Seminole) Seminole Community College: Closed as of 6 a.m.

Tuesday. (Volusia) Daytona Beach Community College: Closed Tuesday. Stetson University: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Bethune-Cookman College; Classes canceled as of noon Tuesday. (Brevard) Brevard Community College: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

By Mary Shanklin OF THE SENTINEL STAFF In the midst of Orlando's tourist strips and neighborhoods are thousands of innocent-looking building materials that could become dangerous missiles propelled by Hurricane Floyd. Everywhere from highrise hotel expansions to burgeoning neighborhoods, construction sites hold the weapons of destruction when wind speeds approach hurricane levels. During Hurricane Andrew in 1992, wind-borne debris became wall-piercing arrows when propelled by the storm's 100-mph-plus winds. So many buildings were pierced that there were changes in South Florida's building codes. In Central Florida, which is one of the hottest construction spots in the nation, the worst potential for danger is along International Drive, where lumber and metal building materials are often stored on unfinished hotel projects 75 to 100 feet in the air and not far from the glass-clad vaca- DOMINICAN REPUBLIC PUERTO RICO Le8ser AntH.es VENEZUELA 68? 64 Shoemaker of Royal Palm Homes, which has sites in Orange and Brevard counties.

Shelley E. Jackson, vice president of MI Homes in Central Florida, said one woman called Monday and wanted a portable restroom removed from an adjacent job site. "We tell everybody that we're trying to do our best," Jackson said. Many builders halted construction Monday. Beazer Homes stopped accepting deliveries of materials and stopped building concrete-block walls.

Without poured concrete and metal reinforcements, the concrete-block walls could not withstand winds of 50 mph, said David Byrnes, Beazer's Central Florida division president. His company has 120 partially built houses in the Orlando area. The most dangerous situation for homes being built is the unprotected roofing system, known as the trusses. Exposed to high winds, the boards that eventually hold up the roof of the house would break loose and scatter. Port Orange; Palm Terrace Elementary School, 1825 Dunn Ave.

in Day-tona Beach; and Boston Avenue Elementary School, 340 N. Boston Ave. in DeLand. More may be opened today. Employers First Data call 1-800-337-0009.

Hospitals: employees expected for work. Call supervisors with questions. Schools: closed. Government: most are closed. Faneuil Group, call (904) 304-1349 or 1350.

Boston Whaler: closed today and Wednesday, call (904) 428-0057. Sparton Electronics: closed today and Wednesday, call (904) 985-4631. THEME PARKS SeaWorld Orlando is closed. Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Escape are open. SAFETY GUIDES A limited number of Sentinel Hurricane Safety Guides will be available today at the newspaper's main lobby, 633 N.

Orange Orlando, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. You can also pick up copies at Sentinel offices at 2730 Enterprise Road Orange City; 631 Brevard Cocoa; 715 Douglas Suite 101, Altamonte Springs; 804 W. Emmett Kissimrnee. I 60 52J PUBLIC: Orange County schools: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Seminole County schools: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Osceola County schools: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Volusia County schools: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Brevard County schools: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Lake County schools: Will close one hour early Tuesday.

All extracurricular school activities and after-school child-care programs are canceled Tuesday. PRIVATE: All Orlando Diocese Catholic schools in Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Volusia and Marion counties closed Tuesday and Wednesday. This includes Bishop Moore High School. Other private (Orange) Trinity Preparatory School: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Lake Highland Preparatory School: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Heritage Preparatory School: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The First Academy: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Central Florida Christian Academy: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Orlando Luther Middle and High School: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Covenant Christian School: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Orangewood Christian: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Pine Castle Christian Academy: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The Master's Academy: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Calvary Christian School: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Forest Lake Academy: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Park-Maitland School: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The Christ School: Closed Tues day and Wednesday. The Kenworthy School: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Conway Christian School: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. New School of Orlando closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

ED SACKETTTHE ORLANDO SENTINEL On board. Robert Melendez boards up windows on his home Monday in Osceola County. tion spots of the tourist area. "We would have missiles lying all over in a very high-density population area," said Robert Olin, chief building inspector for Orange County. Fortunately, Olin said, contractors work diligently to secure the materials in chain-link com Orange County: Hotels For latest available rooms in Orange, Osceola and Seminole, call (407)363-5872 or see www.ocvb.orgcrisis.

The OrlandoOrange County Convention Visitors Bureau at 8723 International Drive will have lists, but it closes at 3 p.m. today and will not be open Wednesday. Shelters Orange County officials meet at 7 a.m. today to decide which shelters to open. Call (407)836-9053 for updates after 10 a.m., 2 p.m.

and 4 p.m. Employers Expect some closings at the SunTrust Building. Orlando City Hall and other government offices are closed. Osceola County: Hotels Call 1-800-333-KISS as early as possible this morning. Shelters Open: Gateway High, 93 Panther Paws Trail; Osceola High, 420 S.

Thacker Reedy Creek Elementary, 51 Eagles Trail; St. Cloud High, 2000 Bulldog Lane. Employers Orlando Hyatt open, call (407) 396-5001. Local government offices and schools are closed. Seminole County: INDEX from A-1 House Road Rockledge (Viera); Rivera Elementary School, 351 Rivera Drive NE, Palm Bay; Westside Elementary School, 2175 DeGroodt Road, SW, Palm Bay.

Lake County: Hotels Most are booked solid through Wednesday. Shoney Inn in Leesburg and the Inn on the Green in Tavares may have rooms for Thursday night. Shelters Opening at 8 a.m. today: South Lake High School, 15600 Silver Eagle Road, Groveland; The Villages Elementary, 39930 Rex Road Lady Lake; Leesburg High School, 1401 Meadows Drive; Tavares Middle School, 13032 Lane Park Cutoff; Seminole Springs Elementary, 26200 W. Huff Road, Cassia.

I Employers Many are open. Florida Crushed Stone, call (352) 787-0608. Florida Hospital Waterman, Leesburg Regional Medical Center, Villages of Lake and Sumter call I immediate supervisors..