Florida on Friday mopped up after a deadly bashing from Hurricane Katrina, and braced for another hit as the weather system swirled over the Gulf of Mexico on a track that would take it back to the storm-weary state.
At least four people were killed late on Thursday as the hurricane made landfall near Miami, in heavily populated south-eastern Florida.
The storm dumped torrential rain on the area, uprooted trees and downed power lines, leaving about 1,4-million people without electricity.
Katrina raged for hours over the Miami area before heading out early on Friday to the Gulf of Mexico, where it regained the steam it lost as it crossed land.
At 9am (1pm GMT), it was located 70km north-northwest of Key West, Florida. It packed winds of 120kph, with higher gusts, and looked set to strengthen further, according to the National Hurricane Centre (NHC).
Katrina, the sixth deadly hurricane in just more than a year to pummel the American state, is expected to slam ashore again in north-western Florida early next week, further straining already-stretched resources.
Emergency crews spread out across the affected area on Friday, fixing power lines and removing fallen trees and other debris that made several streets impassible.
Florida Governor Jeb Bush, a brother of the United States president, said he requested a federal disaster declaration, which would speed up delivery of assistance.
”We expect a very quick response,” he said.
He also warned that with downed lines lying in flooded streets, the danger was not over for residents of south-eastern Florida.
Most hurricane fatalities typically occur after the storm has passed, often as a result of floods or downed power lines.
”We do not want people to let their guard down. That’s when we have the greater number of deaths,” said Craig Fugate, who heads the state’s emergency operations.
The hurricane dumped about 30cm of water, tore down a highway overpass and overturned trucks.
Miami International airport reopened on Friday morning, but schools and offices remained closed. Commuter train and bus services also were cancelled.
When it crashed ashore, with winds that went up to 150kph, the storm sent roof shingles, street signs, tree limbs and other debris flying.
Falling trees killed three people, while a 79-year-old man died when he lost control of his car and crashed into a tree. All three fatalities occurred in and near Fort Lauderdale, 40km north of Miami.
While Katrina ranked at the bottom of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale, many hurricane-hardened residents said they were stunned by the punch it packed.
The hurricane initially sent jitters on global oil markets, but crude prices retreated from a record run on Friday as Katrina looked set to stay well to the east of offshore US oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.
British Petroleum and Shell evacuated non-essential staff from their rigs, but said this would not affect production.
The storm put a damper on the MTV Video Music Awards, causing the cancellation of star-studded concerts and parties.
But organisers remained confident Sunday night’s award ceremony in Miami will go ahead as planned, and their website showed fashion shots of celebrity hosts and nominees getting soaked. — Sapa-AFP