Giant waves are pictured in this photo. Waves like this caused by Hurricane Georges could swamp some of the Florida Keys. The hurricane already hit some Caribbean islands with 20-foot waves and storm surges 5 to 10 feet above normal tides. These swells can affect boaters and sailors very far from the eye of the hurricane.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of Corel Photography

The Latest on Hurricane Georges
News story originally written on September 25, 1998

Hurricane warnings were posted yesterday for much of Southern Florida. More than 1 million people were ordered to evacuate the area from Key West to Tampa.

The eye of the hurricane was expected to pass just south of Key West today by 11 a.m. EDT. Winds are over 100 miles per hour and many in Florida have already experienced power outages. Damage to property and a possible death toll will be known only after Georges has passed the Keys later tonight. After passing the Florida Keys, the hurricane is expected to strengthen to a category 3 storm. It could be a threat to the northern Gulf of Mexico by Saturday.

Georges was once a major hurricane, until it ran into the Caribbean Islands. These Islands acted to slow the hurricane down, keeping it as a category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. This was all tragic news to residents of the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Over 250 people have been killed by the hurricane's trek across the Caribbean.


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