Pensacola News Journal from Pensacola, Florida • 16

iicna juumai qui may, ovauuci ioo ACCUWEATHER MARINE FORECAST FIVE-DAY FORECAST TRAVELERS' FORECAST U.S. CITIES THURSDAY Today Monday HI Lo City HI Lo FLORIDA CITIES Today City HI Lo Monday HI Lo pc 90 78 pc Coral Springs 89 75 TUESDAY WEDNESDAY High 86, High 84, Low 72, Low 72, Rain 40 Rain 50 ALA. Qjay 8667 Pensacola LOCAL ALMANAC 24-hour period for Pensacola through 4 p.m. High temperature 84 Low temperature 73 Normal high 83 Normal low 64 Relative humidity at 3 p.m. .69 Barometer at 3 p.m 30.01 Gulf temperature .81 28C Air quality not available Record high 90 in 1951 Record low 49 in 1961 Precipitation for Ellyson Field through midnight Friday.

Rain 0.00" Rain this month 0.00" Normal rain month to date .0.45" Rain year to date 59.93" Normal rain year to date .50.66" Precipitation for Whiting Field through midnight Friday. Rain 0.00" Rain this month 0.00" Normal rain month to date Rain year to date 58.25" Normal rain year to date .54.90" SUN AND MOON Sunset today: 6:31 p.m. Sunrise tomorrow: 6:44 a.m. Sunset tomorrow: 6:30 p.m. Moonrise: 6:01 p.m.

Moonset: 5:12 a.m. Full Last New First Fort Walton Beach 8370 8472 TODAY MONDAY High 84, Low, 72, Rain 40 High 84, Low 72, Rain 40 REGIONAL FORECAST MISS. Mobile 8569 LA. Biloxi New Orleans' 8872- Predicted NATIONAL FORECAST -10s -Os OS 1 10s Shown are Temperature bands are highs idm Seattl 16046 rU t.v if, noon for Navarre Albuoueraue 76 43 67 40 sh Anchorage 44 31 43 29 sh Atlanta 80 66 sh 83 64 Atlantic City 62 51 73 52 Austin 95 74 pc 90 70 PC Baltimore 65 55 sh 72 55 Boise 55 34 PC 65 36 Boston 66 49 66 44 Buffalo 61 47 pc 65 49 Charlotte 80 64 sh 80 63 sh Chicago 62 55 71 58 Cincinnati 68 60 76 58 sh Cleveland 60 53 70 56 Columbia. SC 82 65 sh 83 64 sh Dallas 90 71 pc 85 66 pc Denver 60 35 pc 52 28 sn Pes Moines 62 58 sh 70 50 sh Detroit 62 52 PC 70 54 Fairbanks 39 17 pc 38 1 5 PC Honolulu 82 69 pc 84 71 sh Houston 90 74 pc 91 72 pc Indianapolis 69 58 pc 76 57 Jackson.

MS 88 65 pc 86 67 Kansas City 72 60 70 52 sh Las Vegas 78 53 80 52 Little Rock 84 66 sh 84 64 Los Angeles 76 60 80 60 Louisville 76 64 80 62 sh Memphis 82 68 sh 84 65 PC Minneapolis 56 48 sh 64 47 sh Nashville 80 64 84 63 i New Orleans 88 72 pc 84 71 pc New York 63 55 sh 65 56 Oklhma. City 85 63 pc 74 54 sh Omaha 68 53 65 44 Philadelphia 60 54 72 55 Phoenix 90 64 88 61 Pittsburgh 62 52 sh 71 55 Portland. OR 62 47 pc 66 51 PC Rapid City 51 40 53 30 sh Richmond 74 60 sh 77 60 Sacramento 78 47 83 51 St. Louis 75 66 PC 79 62 Salt Lake City 54 40 pc 61 35 PC San Antonio 96 74 pc 91 73 pc San Diego 73 59 77 59 S. Francisco 67 53 74 54 Seattle 60 46 pc 63 51 Washington 64 58 sh 73 59 Wichita 82 56 69 48 temperatures are today's highs and 20s 401 50s 60s Crestview 84 68 pc 84 70 pc Daytona Bch 87 70 pc 87 74 pc Ft.

Lauderdale 90 75 pc 90 77 pc Ft. Myers 91 72 pc 91 76 pc Gainesville 87 67 pc 87 72 pc Jacksonville 86 68 sh 86 70 pc Key West 90 79 91 81 pc Lakeland 90 73 pc 89 75 pc Melbourne 87 72 pc 88 75 pc Miami 92 78 pc 92 78 pc Naples 92 72 pc 92 75 pc Ocala 88 69 pc 88 72 pc Orlando 90 72 pc 89 74 pc Sarasota 90 71 pc 89 74 pc St. Augustine 87 69 87 71 pc St. Petersburg 90 71 pc 89 74 pc Tampa 90 71 pc 89 74 pc Vero Beach 89 72 pc 89 76 pc W. Palm Bch 91 75 pc 91 78 pc ALABAMA CITIES Today Monday City Hi Lo HI Lo Anniston 84 64 85 66 pc Auburn 86 65 88 66 pc Birmingham 84 65 sh 83 66 pc Dothan 86 66 86 67 pc Florence 84 63 sh 83 64 pc Gadsden 84 64 84 65 pc Gulf Shores 84 70 pc 84 71 pc Huntsville 84 64 sh 84 64 Mobile 85 69 pc 84 70 pc Montgomery 89 65 87 67 pc Tuscaloosa 86 66 pc 85 67 pc Tuskegee 87 65 88 66 pc WORLD CITIES Today Monday City HI Lo HI Lo Athens 80 62 77 64 Baghdad 104 64 110 68 Beijing 81 58 65 60 Berlin 50 40 51 42 Frankfurt 50 38 52 41 Havana 89 75 87 77 sh Hong Kong 83 78 84 78 Jerusalem 82 57 86 60 London 52 45 sh 56 44 sh Mexico City 72 59 sh 72 55 Montreal 58 38 55 40 Moscow 50 36 49 33 Paris 47 44 sh 52 43 sh Rio de Janeiro 82 72 pc 82 72 pc Riyadh 104 70 103 70 Rome 66 58 pc 70 63 Sarajevo 62 45 64 46 Seoul 74 48 75 54 Stockholm 54 39 pc 49 38 pc Sydney 77 55 72 65 pc Tokyo 77 64 71 63 Toronto 60 42 62 50 Vancouver 52 43 pc 52 51 positions of weather systems and precipitation.

the day. Forecast highlow temperatures are shown for selected cities. Winds southerly today at 6-12 knots, diminishing to 4-8 knots tonight. Waves around two feet today and tonight. Visibility generally unrestricted; lower in thunder-showers.

RIVER STAGES Readings at 7 a.m. Alabama River Flood at Claiborne Dam 34.3 ft. 42 ft. Escambia River at Century 21.8 ft. 17 ft.

Choctawhatchee River at Caryville 17.0 ft. 12 ft. Apalachicola River at Blountstown 17.1 ft. 15 ft. Pascagoula River at Merrill, Miss.

18.4 ft. 22 ft. Tombigbee River at Coffeeville, Ala. 12.8 ft. 29 ft.

PENSACOLA TIDES High tide Low tide Monday 12:04 a.m. 6:17 a.m. 1:40 p.m. 5:54 p.m. Tuesday 8:14 a.m.

Wednesday 12:05 a.m. 9:48 a.m Thursday 12:42 a.m. 11:10 a.m. Friday 1:28 a.m. 12:25 p.m.

Saturday 2:19 a.m. 1:35 p.m. Sunday 3:13 a.m. 2:40 p.m. AREA TIDES TODAY High tide Low tide Pensacola 11:26 a.m.

6:58 p.m. East Pass 10:59 a.m. 8:18 p.m. 11:37 p.m. Warrington 10:59 a.m.

6:28 p.m. 11:37 p.m. Lora Point 12:02 p.m. East Bay 12:10 p.m. 8:15 p.m.

Bay Point 12:49 p.m. 8:25 p.m. Milton 1:06 p.m. 8:45 p.m. P'colaPass 10:03 a.m.

10:41 p.m. Bon Secour 2:42 a.m. 6:24 p.m. 5:22 a.m. 12:26 p.m.

7:40 p.m. Ft. Gaines 2:04 a.m. 11:48 a.m. 4:50 a.m.

7:08 p.m. Mobile Point 2:09 a.m. 11:53 a.m. 5:07 a.m. 7:25 p.m.

I I 15 (cooler). GmmriiTtf vs Kansas ratu mK- IV 5648 .9 LOCAL P'Lo Angeles Showers 5jiSrsS 'V v- Flurries M. Warm i Miami anow a i vnj 928 mi fc-l-j Ice Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, All maps, forecasts and data provided by AccuWeather, Inc. 1998 I Ml II II -III HI a Oct 5 Oct 12 Oct 20 Oct 28 RAY-BAN UV INDEX Today Index 10 a.m 2, minimal Noon 6, moderate 2 p.m 7, high 4 p.m 4, low The UV Index is from 1 (lowest) to 10(highest) The higher the number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection. TROPICAL REPORT A weak tropical wave will affect parts of the central Caribbean today with some clouds and a couple of showers and thunderstorms.

Rather tranquil elsewhere. 'HIM If I if 2' V7 High 84, Low 70, Rain 50 GA. Tallahassee 8766 0 Panama City 8472 1 tonight's lows. 70s 100s My- 1 W58 Stationary rain, sf-snow flun'ies, sn-snow, l-ice. http:www.accuweather.com 0 Dunes with sea oats and other vegetation take nature years to build.

0 Storm surges can carry away large sections of beach and dunes. Newly planted vegetation wood slat sand fences are sand blown by winter winds Ron StallcupNews Journal will be planted in test beds around the state. "We might be able to take a sea oat from the East Coast, for example, with properties that are valuable along the Gulf Coast," Kane said. Kane said he might do some cross-breeding to strengthen those characteristics, but he does not plan to produce genetically engineered sea oats. Kane will begin planting test beds in a year, but it will take two years of growth before he can begin analyzing the results.

"We are confident we will be able to find and select plants with characteristics to enhance the ability to protect and build dunes," he said. "There's certainly a need." Beach reconstruction The dune system along unpopulated areas of Santa Rosa Island was nearly unscathed by Hurricane Georges. The coast still has not fully recovered from Hurricane Opal in 1995, leaving gaps along the Gulf shoreline. HERE IS HOW DUNES ARE REBUILT: Panhandle totals damages as region begins to dry out Dunes 3 I Where dunes have been lost, installed in the fall to catch DUn69aP 0 Fences ''A IT Bruce GranerNews Journal Clearing sand from a residence on Avenida 13 results in a small berm to help out the dunes. Dune rebuilding takes years 0 from the north, but are eventually buried.

Sea oats are planted in the spring to grow up with the new dunes and anchor them with their roots. Saturday's extremes: Highest temperature: 95 at Abilene, TX Lowest temperature: 23 at Stanley, ID INTERNET http:www.navy.milncts weather.page.html http:www.usatoday.com weatherwfront.htm http:cnn.comWEATHERhtml PensacolaFL.html taking care of their medical needs," he said. "Then we worry about the rest." Charlene Echols, nursing director for the Santa Rosa County Health said flood victims should stay out of floodwater. Floods wash the raw sewage and all the accompanying disease and parasites out of septic tanks. "They should have a good shower when they get out of it," Echols said.

"Don't eat any food touched by floodwater. Even cans need to be de-i contaminated with bleach." Residents on public water systems can drink their tap water, but those with wells should boil the water for at least 10 minutes before they! drink it and contact the county Health Department for a well test before they; stop boiling. The Health Department's' warnings didn't keep Tommy "Catfish" Rawlinson, 44, out of his Paradise Island home in East Milton on Saturday, Even though the house sits on 8-foot pilings, it wasn't high enough to be spared. A foot of water still stood in the yard. "This house has never had.

water in it before," Rawlinson said. "I just knew it; wouldn't get no water in it this time. Somebody had to climb through a window and kick the door open just so could get in." His neighbor on Marshall Road, Trudy Madron stepped gingerly from lump to lump through her living room. She was afraid the low spots might cave in, and it's, about an 8-foot drop to the! ground. "We found out a long time" ago not to leave anything! nice downstairs," said; Madron, 50.

"But this is the first time we flooded up-" stairs." Homeowners in the city of Milton were busy Saturday too. Doris and Fred Sivils spent a second day ripping what used to be new carpet; from their water-soaked Willing Street home. The two retired and moved; to Milton in July. "I sit out on the dock ancf fish a lot," said Doris Sivils; 58. "We moved back here tor be on the water.

I "On it, I said. Not in it." Researcher experiments with improving sea oats FROM 1A how fast the Yellow River claimed their 40-home community. "But we've had fires and floods and deaths this is a ticker-tape parade compared to some of that," she said. Preliminary estimates show more than 75 Santa Rosa homes, maybe as many as 350, were damaged by water. Damage to public parks, bridges and roads could cost more than $3 million.

That doesn't include what it will cost to replace a 50-foot stretch of Ward Basin Road south of Interstate 10 completely washed away Saturday by the Yellow River. Emergency officials feared the County Courthouse in downtown Milton would be damaged by water, but minimal flooding in the basement didn't hurt records or significant equipment, said Santa Rosa Public Information Officer Bill Gilbert. In Escambia County, Hurricane Georges damaged at least 639 homes and destroyed seven. Estimates on damage to public property already are around $17 million. Estimates on private property damage, costs weren't available for either county Saturday.

That's nothing compared to Opal, which did most of its damage with 115 mph winds, not the accompanying flooding. Damage estimates for Pensacola Beach alone were $34 million following Opal. With Georges, 16 inches of rain over four days, combined with storm winds that kept area bays from draining into the Gulf of Mexico, caused the Blackwater, Yellow, Escambia and Perdido rivers in the two-county area to flood. Because of Thursday's disaster declaration by President Clinton, residents affected by Georges and the accompanying flooding can call FEMA and file claims. Callers are told it will be seven to' 10 days before their homes are examined.

FEMA officials weren't available Saturday for comment. Gilbert said the county's priorities in the Hurricane Georges aftermath are simple. "It's people first, finding them shelter, feeding them, "It took almost 10 years for the island and the dunes to recover naturally after Hurricane Frederic in 1979," Stone said. "The island was left with a barren surface after Opal. This was the first year we began to see any significant recovery from Opal." But Georges was no Opal.

In unpopulated park areas the primary dunes, those closest to the Gulf, seem to have survived largely intact. And the secondary dunes, those toward the interior of the island, appear unscathed. "They fared fairly well. It wasn't the setback it could have been," Hoggard said. About two-thirds of the beachfront in unpopulated areas has dunes with sea oats intact about the same as before the storm.

In some places the seeds are still on the sea oat stalks, he said. Even where the dunes look barren now, there may be life beneath the surface. Mature sea oats have a network of root nodes that can produce new plants after a storm. "In Opal, some of the vegetation was completely buried," Hoggard said. "And when the wind moved the sand, the vegetation came back just fine." The dunes in front of homes might not have washed away if the sea oats had had more extensive root systems.

But it is not just a matter of needing more time to mature, Hoggard said. Sea oat roots do not grow deep; they primarily grow up with the dunes as sand accumulates, building a root network as they go. The island is alive Santa Rosa Island is relatively stable for a barrier island it is 3,000 to 5,000 4 FROM 1A beach, the energy from waves is absorbed as the water runs gently uphill, Hoggard explained. On a narrow, steep beach, there is more energy expended in one place, and more sand is put into motion and carried away. Where's the sand? Another difficulty is finding enough sand for dune build-l ing.

Compared to Opal, which left long tongues of sand I spread toward the center of the island, Georges pushed relatively small amounts onto the island, leaving little mate- rial for new dunes. "There is not near as much sand on the road," Brown said. "Most is in the front I yard, but not as much as was moved in Opal." This time, much of the sand lost from beaches was pulled into the Gulf by the west- flowing currents. "The shoreline has receded how much, we won't know for a while," Hoggard said late last week. He planned to wait about a week before re-mapping the shoreline.

During the next few weeks and perhaps months much of the sand eroded from the Gulf side could be carried back by the tides. Brown believes she can see it happening already. "I can sit here on my deck and each day the sand bar is closer and closer, and then another one forms," she said. "The beach builds itself back up. It's a wonderful creation." Sand bars are normally about 200 yards off the beach; now they are only about 20 feet away.

But whether the sand will settle on the beach, or be carried by the current westward into the Gulf, re mains to be seen. "I haven't seen this phenomenon before," Hoggard said. As a rule, sand from depths to 30 feet eventually is deposited on Gulf beaches, said Greg Stone, director of Louisiana State University's Coastal Morphodynamics Laboratory in Baton Rouge, which has used Santa Rosa Island as a natural laboratory since 1980. You must have dunes Stone favors rebuilding the dunes. Not only will they protect homes from erosion, but they will catch the sand that is picked up by winter winds out of the north as they blow across the center of the island toward the Gulf.

After Opal, the Island Authority installed wood-slat sand fences along the artificial dunes at chevron angles to allow sea turtles through. In the spring, workers planted sea oats. The fences and sea oats help catch the sand and build dunes. They worked, Brown said. The fence was buried by the time Georges struck.

The Island Authority will probably follow a similar design this time, but Blews could not yet say for sure. "You never fight the next war like the last one," he said. The sea oats on the man-made dunes along the beachfront had been growing less than three years when Georges struck. It was not sufficient time, apparently, for their root systems to grow enough to keep the dunes intact. Some dunes held up Stone initially feared that dunes throughout the island could have been devastated by Georges.

By Jacques Picard News Journal staff writer A University of Florida horticulturist is looking for a better sea oat that would help sand dunes survive hurricanes. Mike Kane, an associate professor at the University of Florida, has been analyzing the genetic fingerprints of sea oats from all around Florida for two years with a $114,000 Florida Sea Grant. He has found significant genetic differences from various regions of the state. Some of those characteristics may help produce plants with deeper root systems to better withstand strong storms, he said. After cloning plants from different regions, samples years old in parts.

Those who have observed the island closely including Hoggard, Stone and Brown have come to marvel at its ability to repair itself after hurricanes. After the fall hurricanes, nature provides winter winds out of the north to blow the sand back toward the Gulf dunes provided there are sea oats there to catch it. But left to itself, the island would gradually move north from the storm surges of hurricanes that push the beach sand from the Gulf up onto the island, sometimes all the way to the north shore. And the island would gradually move west because of the currents in the bay and Gulf carrying beach sand downstream. In the long run, there are limits to what man can do to affect this natural process, Hoggard believes.

"Nature will rebuild our dunes," he said. "Unfortunately, she wants to build them on our roads, and where our condos are." I.