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Pastor Predicts 'Bumpy Ride' from Hurricane
NASSAU, BAHAMAS (September 1, 2004) - Tense moments abound as residents from
the Bahamas to Florida prepare for the onslaught of Hurricane Frances,
now expected to reach Category 4 status when it hits land.
"Looks like we're in for a rather bumpy ride over the next few days,"
says Covenant pastor Joshua Sands in an email message to friends in the
States. Sands says forecasters are warning the storm could spread
damaging winds over a 350-mile diameter with an "eye" spanning more than
20 miles – "the eye is almost bigger than the island I live on," says
Sands. "We do ask for your prayers and continued intercession for those
of us in the path of this monster of a hurricane."
The Associated Press is reporting evacuation orders being prepared for
thousands of people in the Miami area of Florida, where Frances is
expected to arrive late Friday or early Saturday, packing winds of 140
miles per hour. Some 7,500 residents of Stuart, located about 100 miles
north of Miami, are expected to receive evacuation advisories as early
as tomorrow. More than 50,000 residents of Brevard County have already
been told to start evacuating their homes tomorrow afternoon.
"I can't emphasize enough how powerful this is," stated Max Mayfield in
an Associated Press report. Mayfield is director of the National
Hurricane Center. "If there's something out there that's going to weaken
it, we haven't seen it." Frances is nearing the Bahamas with steady
strength, but is expected to fluctuate in intensity and could become a
Category 5 storm with top sustained winds of 156 mph or higher,
forecasters said. The storm could hit anywhere from South Florida to
South Carolina. Hurricane-force winds extend up to about 80 miles from
Frances' center, making it about twice the width of Charley and
increasing the possibility for damage, forecasters said.
More information on Hurricane Frances and any potential threat to
Evangelical Covenant Churches and ministries will be posted to this
online Covenant news report as it becomes available.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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