The Tampa Tribune from Tampa, Florida • 15

THE TAMPA TRIBUNE Saturday, August 20, 1983 Section Evacuation plans being scrutinized in Alicia's wake JT" r- mm Had Alicia hit Tampa Bay, hundreds of thousands would have had to evacuate. I. 1 1 Tribune photos by AUGUST STAEBLER Robert Glantz, left, and Keith Taylor, both passengers on Delta flight 784, describe the hijacking to reporters following their arrival Friday morning in Tampa. Passengers recount hijacking During their IV2 hours in Havana's airport, many passengers made the best of the situation and left the plane to purchase toys, cigars and rum from duty-free shop. By GIL KLEIN Tribune Staff Writer Hurricane planners in the Tampa Bay area looked at the pictures of high-rise buildings in Houston, their windows popped out in the winds of Hurricane Alicia, and wondered Friday if they should make some modifications to their evacuation plans.

They had hoped that a lot of people living on barrier islands or along the coast could be moved to the upper floors of high-rise buildings. That would eliminate some of the people clogging the highways and rushing across a limited number of bridges in the face of the storm. But the shattered windows of the Houston buildings reconfirmed their fears that high-rise buildings may not be safe during a hurricane, even on the upper floors. "We saw that a high-rise building may not topple over, but the windows will pop out," said David Griffiths, hurricane planner for the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. "That would put the full wind power on the building's interior walls.

If you put people on the upper floors of high-rises, especially on barrier islands, you could have a lot of trouble." Glass towers have become popular in Tampa and along much of Gulf-side Pinellas County, and the prospect of shattering glass added a new dimension to hurricane preparedness. Griffiths warned that a hurricane of the intensity of Alicia would have done much more damage to the Tampa Bay area than it did to Galveston and Houston. "We have a lot more low-lying land, and a lot more people living on that land," Griffiths said. "They (emergency personnel in Texas) evacuated tens of thousands of people. The same storm here would mean we would have to evacuate hundreds of thousands." Griffiths and other civil defense planners in the bay area said they are studying the damage caused by Alicia and the public response to evacuation declarations to see if they have to change their four-county hurricane preparedness strategy.

Galveston did not suffer as much damage as the Tampa Bay area would, he said, because much of the Texas Gulf-side city was protected by a 17-foot-high seawall. "If a hurricane the size of Alicia were approaching the Tampa Bay area, we would have evacuated all of the barrier islands and much of the coast along the bay's shore," Griffiths said, "The storm surge probably would have been 13 or 14 feet along the Interbay Peninsula." Much of the Interbay Peninsula' and downtown Tampa and all of Davis Islands is less than 14 feet above sea level. Civil Defense workers had 20 hours warning to evacuate people in Texas, Griffiths said, and that was more time than is usually available. The Tampa Bay area would need every bit of that time to clear people out of low-lying areas. Chet Tharpe, Hillsborough County's emergency preparedness director, said he was surprised at reports that about half of the 40,000 people evacuated in Texas went to public shelters.

Hillsborough County is counting on only 30 percent of the people evacuated coming to public shelters, he said. Most people were expected to go to homes of friends or relatives where they would be more comfortable than in a public shelter. In Pinellas County, Civil Emergency Services Director Frank Griffin said he was doing an analysis of the National Weather Service's advisories during Alicia's approach and how people reacted to them. "The state of Texas did not declare an emergency to make people evacuate." Griffin said. "That left the decision to evacuate up to, individuals, and a lot of them did not leave." In Florida, he said, local civil defense agencies have an agreement with the state for the governor to issue an executive order for evacuation in threatened areas that would make departure mandatory.

"We learned we're very fortunate to have excellent coordination between the state government and local civil defense," Griffiths agreed. "From what we can gather, there was a difference of opinion between the state of Texas and Galveston city officials. W'e wouldn't have that here." the bottle as the stewardess calmed him by saying they would do as he asked, passengers said. Those seated nearby readily moved to seats near the front of the airplane at the stewardess' suggestion. The man spent the remainder of the flight huddled in the far left corner of the cabin, said Robert Glantz.

who was returning to his Tampa home from work in Mexican oil fields. "He sort of sat in the back, peering over the seat. And if anybody came near him. he put (the bottle and candle) closer together," said Glantz. See HIJACK, Page 2B flight this summer, and the 10th successful diversion of ao American jetliner to Havana since Mav 1.

Flight 784 departed Miami International Airport for Tampa and Cincinnati with 72 passengers and a crew of seven aboard at 9:45 p.m. Thursday. Minutes later, the hijacker rose from a rear seat and demanded. Tribune Staff Authorities Friday said they had no name, nationality or citizenship for the dark-skinned hijacker who boasted he was not afraid to die as he diverted a Delta Air Lines jet to Cuba. The hijacker, who spoke "perfect English." was taken into custody by Cuban authorities after the 727 jet landed at Havana's Jose Marti Airport at about 11 p.m.

Thursday. Don Perusi. a Miami FBI agent, said it could take as long as a week for the identification process to be completed. The episode marked the fourth hijacking attempt of a Tampa Rainy Day There is nothing more fun after a summer rainstorm than a splash in the leftover puddles. Kelvin Goldsmith, 14, left, and his friend Michael Nellon, 12, took full advantage of the situation Friday on Main Street.

For sale: By TOM INGLIS Tribune Staff Writer Red-faced county officials will be asking the Hillsborough County Commission for permission to declare almost 56 miles of aluminum posts surplus and then sell off the product of one of the county's better-known goof-ups Wednesday. The aluminum was purchased by error last April. The county traffic control department wanted 15.000 feet of C-shaped aluminum posts for traffic and street signs. But due to an error in the order, the county bought Young woman found dead in parking lot It was the third time since mid-July a woman's body has been found dumped in a conspicuous place. "Tell the pilot to take this national to Cuba." "The individual was carrying a Joy (liquid detergent) bottle, a candle and a lighter." said Robert W.

Butler of the Tampa FBI office. "There are indications the candle was lit through most of the flight." he said The hijacker's shaking hands held the candle flame inches from -v frying aluminum posts began arriving at the county road department on Orient Road. The supplier, Dave Smith Company Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, said he had to arrange a special letter of credit to fill the order and was unable to accept return of the alumi report first. Wednesday.

Bean said he now believes It is Improper to extract the money from private developers when the move will benefit the general public. According to their comments 56 miles of aluminum posts County officials are hoping they can turn a profit on a goof-up that left them with $237,000 instead of $19,999 worth of aluminum posts. By DANIEL MCLAUGHLIN Tribune Staff Writer The clothed body of 20-year-old Barbara Grams, 2911 N. Boulevard, whose head had been severely beaten was found in a parking lot at a Tampa dentist's office on North Boulevard Friday morning. Police said she apparently was beaten to death.

They said the body had been dumped there sometime the night before. It was the third time the body of a woman has been discovered in a' conspicuous place since mid-July, according to police. However, investigators said there is no evidence the slayings are linked. "We don't have a mad killer (on the) loose," said Tampa police spokesman Johnny Barker. The discovery Friday of the 18-to 22-year-old was made by a gardener working in a yard outside the dark brown stucco office of Dr.

Antonio Abay at 3911 North Boulevard. The bludgeoned woman was lying near a hedge beside a wire fence that partially circled the two-office building where Abay practices. The second office Is vacant. Dr. Abay's office was closed to leaning, Diaz could cast the deciding ballot if he elects to participate.

Aviation Authority counsel Stewart Eggert has said Diaz could have a "serious conflict" of interest because he Is one of thedevelopers who sought to have the radio equipment transferred to make way for tall towers. Federal authorities suggest It Is possible to shift the antennae to the roof of the passenger terminal at Tampa International Airport at an approximate cost of See AIRPORT, Page 2B 15.000 twenty-foot lengths of the material, or almost 56 miles of aluminum at a price of $237,000. The correct purchase price should have been less than $19,000. The error was realized when a number of tractor trailer loads of Tribune Photo by TONY RANZE num. County Administrator Norman Hickey has placed the aluminum issue on the agenda of the commission for Wednesday's meeting.

He recommends that 14.000 pieces of aluminum, each 20 feet long, be declared surplus and that the county put it up for sale under the usual sealed bid requirement. County Operations Director Don Harwig said he has been informed the price of aluminum has increased See POSTS, Page 2B Thursday and Friday, authority members County Commissioner John Paulk and Mayor Bob Martinez appeared to lean toward Bean's way of thinking. Members Adelaide Few and James Pollock leaned away from using authority money fees collected from airport users and tenants. Diaz was undergoing medical tests Thursday, according to his secretary, and could not be reached at his office for cdmment Friday If the board votes as it is now customers in the morning and police stretched a yellow, plastic tape around the building to keep out the curious. Since July 10, two women have been dumped at different locations; one in the city and one thrown into a ditch in the northwest part of the county.

The discovery of the first body, still unidentified, was on July 10 behind the Burger King restaurant at Floriland Mall. She was said by police to be between 17 and 23. She was lying under a green blanket. The county medical examiner determined the 130-pound woman had been suffocated, police said. A day later, a 65-year-old jogger See BODY, Page 2B Inside Firefighters file suit Tampa firefighters' union has filed a suit to stop all promotions until an arbitrator can interpret the Civil Service law.

Teachers to vote on contract A County teachers will vote on a compromise contract that will give them about a 7 percent pay boost. Bill to move airport radio tower may go to taxpayers A radio tower must be moved before Aviation Authority Chairman Eddie Diaz can build a high-rise office building near the airport. By PATRICE FLINCHBAUGH Tribune Staff Writer Aviation Authority Chairman Eddie Diaz, who has a financial interest In seeing a vital radio tower moved, could end up the swing vote on whether the airport board pays the S250.000 moving tab. In a Tribune telephone poll of the five Aviation Authority members, none would say how they'll vote at the Sept. 15 meeting.

But two said Airport Director George Bean could be justified in his about-face in recommending the money come from the board and ultimately taxpayers. Two indicated they strongly oppose dipping into Aviation coffers, but that they could be persuaded by valid argument. All four members want to hear.