24/10/2005

Hurricane Wilma hits Florida

Hurricane Wilma hit Florida’s coast on Monday, after causing devastation in Mexico.

The Category 3 storm has reportedly caused huge storm surges and up to 25cms of rain is believed to have fallen in parts of the Sunshine State. US news channels were reporting that one person had been killed due to the storm.

Over a million people are without electricity, as the storm tracks across Florida.

Governor Jeb Bush has advised people not to leave their homes. It is believed that thousands of residents in the Florida Keys have ignored orders to evacuate the area and remained in their homes.

Cuba has also been affected by Hurricane Wilma, with reports of flooding in the capital, Havana.

Wilma is now reported to be moving across the Atlantic Coast and has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm.

The hurricane battered Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, including the popular resort of Cancun, over the weekend. It is believed that as many as eight people have been killed. Thirteen people were also killed last week, when Wilma hit Haiti and Jamaica.

Looting has been reported in the area, with police attempting to remain in control of the situation.

On Monday, the Foreign Office said that there had been no reports of any British casualties so far. The Foreign Office has announced that a 10-man consular Rapid Deployment Team had been sent to Mexico from the UK in order to assist Britons caught up in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma.

The team, which includes Foreign Office consular officials and staff from the British Red Cross and International SOS, will assist the team already in the Mexican resort of Cancun, including the British Ambassador to Mexico.

The Foreign Office said that the consular team would tour evacuation shelters to help British nationals, by providing immediate access to food, water and clothing and help to make flight arrangements to return home.

A dedicated phone line has also been set up for people concerned about relatives in the areas affected by Hurricane Wilma. The number is: 0207 008 0000.

(KMcA/SP)

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