Pensacola News Journal from Pensacola, Florida • 1

1 TV PENSACOLA News- Spurs win Game 1 of NBA Finals TT (G5QOTM FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2005 Dear Reader: Some sections of your Sunday newspaper may arrive a day early because of the threat of Tropical Storm Arlene. If you are a Sunday subscriber to the Pensacola News Journal, you will receive a copy of the Saturday newspaper that will include the comics section, TV Week, USA Weekend and the Life and Health sections, along with the advertising inserts that normally accompany the Sunday newspaper. The A section, Local, Sports, Money and Classified sections of the Sunday newspaper will be delivered as usual Sunday. Saturday and Sunday editions of the News Journal that are sold in stores or in newspaper racks will not be affected. Some subscribers may receive their newspapers a little later on Saturday and Sunday because of the tropical storm.

Mm rrtw rar 5 rm TwmT -M'J3 Lmi Storm-weary keep eye on storm track lvrffiPf Ben TwingleyPensacolaNewsJournal.com From left, Mary Noland, Kelly Noland and Briahna McDavid, 8, shop for a generator and other supplies Thursday at The Home Depot in preparation for Tropical Storm Arlene. Before the storm: What you need to know Sean Smith PensacolaNewsJournal.com Batten down those blue roofs. Tropical Storm Arlene, a minimal tropical storm with 40 mph winds and a poorly defined, broad center, took aim Thursday at the Pensacola Bay Area as it made its way north at 8 mph. The storm, which formed early Wednesday in the western Caribbean, was expected to accelerate and strengthen as it moved into the Gulf of Mexico early today, said Steve Lyons, hurricane expert for The Weather Channel. The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood watch Thursday and warned of dangerous surf and rip currents forming near area beaches.

Coastal flooding and torrential rainfall are expected to be the main problems for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties with Arlene. The storm is expected to make landfall Saturday afternoon, packing winds of about 60 mph near its center. It was news Grande Lagoon resident Kathy Wendel didn't need. For the past eight months, Wendel said the cramped travel trailer she, her husband and teenage daughter have been residing in at the foot of her Hurricane Ivan-destroyed home "has been getting smaller by the day." Now, Wendel said, her family will begin to tie down their rented trailer and prepare for the storm. Repairs to her home were to be complete in a few weeks.

"I can't believe something is headed this way again," she said. "I don't think it will be that bad. I'm more worried about this trailer." The strike area forecast by the National Hurricane Center extends from New Orleans to the Panama City area. A trough of low pressure digging into the western side of Arlene likely will keep it from reaching hurricane strength, Lyons said. But, he cautioned, the broad center of circulation could easily reform away from its current center.

Tropical storm force winds are expected to reach the local area Saturday morning, and Arlene is expected to bring about 5 to 6 inches of rain and storm surge of about 3 to 4 feet, said Gary Beeler, senior meteorologist with the SPORTS, ID Zm'ss. i 'ALA GA. 'Pensacola Tropical Storm Ariene 20.8" 84.3 W. Winds at 40 mph at 10 p.m. f9 News Journal graphic Online updates The National Hurricane Center releases advisories at 7 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m., 10 p.m., 1 a.m.

and 4 a.m. Information and forecast maps are updated online at www.PensacolaNews Journal.com. Let us know If your group is canceling an event because of Tropical Storm Arlene, the News Journal can help you get the word out. To report a cancellation, call 435-8542, or e-mail helpdeskPensacola NewsJournal.com. National Weather Service in Mobile.

Rainfall will be heavier in squalls that will push ashore mainly east of the storm center, Beeler said. "The main problems are going to be east of the storm center," Beeler said. "We don't know at this point how bad the beaches will get the storm surge. If anyone lives below 6 feet, Td be concerned." Beeler also is wary of the potential for tornadoes as the feeder bands and squalls start moving ashore tonight. "We don't expect it to be a hurricane or even a strong tropical storm, but we know some people have blue tarps on their roofs," Lyons said.

"Basically, we're looking at Florida getting very wet again." News Journal staff writer Fredie Carmichael contributed to this report. workers usually they send five to finish repairs on a damaged roof on 17th Avenue and Gadsden Street in an effort to beat the storm's arrival. "I'm not that worried anymore," said the homeowner, Sandy Douglas, as she watched the team of workers repair her roof Thursday afternoon. "My roof is at least three-quarters done now." Workers inspected West Florida Hospital's roof to double check the sturdiness of temporary repairs, said Kathy Houser, the hospital's vice president of marketing. The scaffolding that covers the front of the hospital facing Davis Highway is bolted to the steel structure of the building.

"It's not an issue," she said. Busy traffic at home improvement stores on Thursday indicated that many area residents are not taking chances with Arlene. Tarps are flying out of here," said Curtis Clecker, assistant store manager at Lowe's, where 700 gas cans were sold Thursday. Generators also sold out, including 10 high-end generators priced at $1,200 each. "The majority of the traffic in our store is the hurricane' aisle.

Most of them are homeowners buying tarps." lnside4-5A Insurance specialists urge property owners to take inventory no matter what condition the property is in, 4A Storm-weary locals are hoping that Arlene will either lose steam before hitting the area or steer clear of the Panhandle, 4A Amidst piles of debris from Ivan, Pensacola Beach, Perdido Key and Navarre Beach residents are monitoring Arlene, hoping for the best, 4A Tropical Storm Allison taught deadly lesson to Gulf: It's not wise to just blow off a tropical storm, 4A Many homes in the Bay Area still have blue roofs something that could become a problem during Arlene, 4A Tips on how to prepare your home and family, 5A How to protect your windows, 5A Shelters Santa Rosa emergency management officials will monitor conditions and decide after a 10 a.m. statewide conference call whether to open the Milton Community Center as an evacuation shelter. In Escambia County, it is possible that limited shelters will be opened for people in flood-prone areas, travel trailers, mobile homes or those in homes left vulnerable from Hurricane Ivan, said Janice Kilgore, public safety director. Roads Escambia County road crews were clearing storm drains and preparing sandbags in anticipation of flooding rains from Arlene. Santa Rosa road crews will be out to block off flooded or washed-out roads as the storm hits and will notify the public which areas to avoid.

Gulf Power Outages related to Arlene could last a few days and likely would be caused by felled trees, blown transformers or winds taking down lines, said John Hutchinson, Gulf Power spokesman. Gulf Power is able to detect most widespread outages during a storm, and customers should wait a reasdnable time before reporting an outage. Customers may call (800) 487-6937. Web storm power tips: www.gulfpower.com. fT7T For more storm tips, visit www.Pensacola NewsJournal.com Sean Smith and Derek Pivnick PensacolaNewsJourn al.com Escambia and Santa Rosa emergency officials urge residents to make final storm preparations today as Tropical Storm Arlene enters the Gulf of Mexico.

Escambia County offices All county offices will be open today. The Escambia School District will be on its normal operating schedule today. Summer school classes will be conducted, and buses will run as scheduled. Citizen Information Lines: Starting at 7 am. today, Escambia County residents can call 471 -6600 for information.

Santa Rosa employees will staff information line (800) 225-7421 or 983-5280 beginning at 8 a.m. today. Beaches Dangerous surf and possible rip currents are expected. Santa Rosa EOC Partial activation of the Emergency Operations Center will begin at 2 p.m. Evacuations are unlikely to be suggested, county bfficials said.

Escambia EOC Officials will staff the Emergency Operations Center beginning at 1 p.m. There are no evacuations or protective actions planned yet. The public will be advised as soon as decisions are made. Area gets new dining choices Four new restaurants are sure to provide a slew of new dining experiences. A crawfish boilery, a New Orleans rotisserie, an old-fashioned ice cream shop and the extension of The Portabello Market are among the newcomers.

MONEY, 12C 3 more arrested in disappearance Aruba's prime minister said Thursday that finding '0'1 iNaiaieu nonoway is the nation's "No. 1 goal," and police arrested three more men who said they gave the 18-year-old a ride the night she disappeared. NATION, 7A Dance brawl cases diverted Two 18-year-olds charged in connection with a brawl at the Las Javanas Valentine's Day dance have been referred to a pretrial diversion program and could have their charges dismissed. LOCAL, 1C Scandal costs church $1 billion Tallies are showing the U.S. Roman Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal has cost the church more than $1 billion.

The figure most likely will rise because hundreds more claims are pending. NATION, 7A INDEX Classified 1-20F Movies Wkender Crossword 5B, Neighbors 2C 19F Obituaries 4C Life 1B Opinion 10-11 A Local 1C Religion 2B Lottery 1C.4C Sports 10 Money 12C Television 5B rg4 :4. 'i RealFeel Temp: 90 at 4 p.m. Rain: 60 Details: 6D I www.PensacolaNews U2J Jo4imal.comweather To subscribe: Call 435-8686 A Gannett Newspaper Copyright 2005 batten down Construction Supplies selling well during sales-tax holiday Nicole Lozare PensacolaNewsJournal.com Casey Stokes walked around The Home Depot on Thursday afternoon wearing a T-shirt that expressed what everyone around him was thinking: "Ivan the Terrible." The shirt was just a coincidence, said the Pensacola father of three whose roof was damaged when a tree fell on it during the storm. The 33-year-old hopes the temporary roof and mix-and-match shingles he installed will survive Tropical Storm Arlene.

Forecasters predict the storm will make landfall Saturday night just west of Pensacola. "I think it's going to hold out," he said of his roof "At least I hope so." Like Stokes, many in Pensacola are hoping that the oncoming storm will spare their already damaged homes. Many contractors and homeowners will work until the last minute to complete roof repairs or secure loose scaffolding. James Helmes, owner of Helmco Construction boarded up the windows of a Perdido Key house that his firm is repairing. "We just put new Sheetrock inside the house, and we want Pensacola searched for a generator but were unsuccessful.

Jim Inman said large gas cans also were hard to find. "Waiting in line for gas was the biggest headache during (Hurricane) Ivan," he said. "They don't have a gas can large enough to store the gas you need." Michael Guin, manager of Lowe's on Airport Boulevard, predicts sales will increase as Arlene approaches today and Saturday. "More information might spur more preventive maintenance," he said. Guin said if the potential for flooding increases, Lowe's will have sand and sandbags stocked.

Angela Fail PensacolaNewsJournal.com List of tax-free supplies, 4A The final days of the tax-free holiday on hurricane-related items sent area residents shopping for storm staples. Tropical Storm Arlene fueled the frenzy Thursday as shoppers at local hardware and home-improvement stores filled carts with batteries, flashlights and gas cans. Chris Mangino, manager of The Home Depot on Davis Highway, said many shoppers had only one item on their list. "Generators pretty much have a shelf life of 30 seconds," he said. The tax relief that began June 1 and ends Sunday, paired with the forecast of an active hurricane season, pushed residents to prepare more quickly.

"The storm in the Gulf has only elevated the surge," he said. Mary and Jim Inman of Gary McCrackenPensacolaNewsJournal.com Kennon Stephens, left, and Jason Baum with John Bicknas LLC work on a house in Lost Key before Tropical Storm Arlene arrives. under that tarp, that tarp is gone." Scott Bryars, superintendent for Cribbs Roofing, said homeowners should talk to their contractors about what they can do to prepare for the strong winds the storm is expected to bring. "Make sure that any loose material is taken indoors, too," he said. The roofing company sent 12 to make sure it stays dry inside," he said.

Helmes suggested that homeowners utilize their storm shutters this weekend. But those with blue roofs might be in trouble. "Those tarps are not going to stick," he said. "Get a heavier tarp and place it over the blue one, and nail the perimeters down with a (l-inch-by-2-inch piece of wood). If the wind gets ia.