Hurricane Katrina relentlessly pounded storm-wary Florida, killing at least three people, leaving about 1,5-million homes without power and collapsing a Miami highway overpass.
Hours after the deadly storm slammed ashore in densely populated southeastern Florida, its eye headed out to the Gulf of Mexico early on Friday, but howling winds and pounding rain still battered Miami and surrounding areas.
Katrina weakened to a tropical storm as it moved inland, but was expected to rapidly regain power as it barrels over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, causing concerns in oil markets where crude prices reached record highs on Thursday.
As the hurricane crashed ashore, a 25-year-old man was killed when a tree fell on his car, and a pedestrian was crushed to death by a falling tree, local media reported.
Both fatalities occurred in Fort Lauderdale, just north of the area where Katrina made landfall late on Thursday, becoming the sixth deadly hurricane to pummel Florida in just over one year.
Authorities also reported the death of a 79-year-old man in a car crash near Fort Lauderdale.
Katrina packed maximum sustained winds of 128km per hour as it landed 22km north of Miami, with gusts reaching 140km per hour.
Authorities in Miami said they were investigating reports that a vehicle was trapped under a highway overpass that partly collapsed.
Emergency services also reported that a truck was dangling from an overpass near Fort Lauderdale.
The storm sent roof shingles, signs, tree limbs flying, and downed power lines, leaving about 1,5-million homes without electricity.
Numerous streets in Miami were flooded, stranding motorists who braved driving rain and debris despite official warnings to stay off the roads.
Greenish flares lit up the night skies as power lines short-circuited, sending entire neighbourhoods into darkness.
Initial concerns that Katrina could swirl over offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico helped push crude prices to new highs and caused the evacuation of non-essential workers from some platforms off the southern United States.
Crude oil futures jumped to a record New York closing price of $67,49 a barrel, up 17 cents from Wednesday.
But forecasts on Friday showed the storm should remain to the east of the main offshore oil fields, and would likely make a second landfall at hurricane strength in northwestern Florida on Sunday.
Fort Lauderdale airport was closed and flights to and from Miami’s international airport were canceled. Ports and cruise terminals in the affected areas also shut down, as did schools and most offices.
”It’s important to take this seriously,” said Florida Governor Jeb Bush, a brother of the United States president.
While Katrina ranked at the bottom of the five-level Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale when it hit Florida, many hurricane-hardened residents calling radio stations said they were stunned by the punch it packed.
Authorities also warned that most hurricane fatalities typically occur after the storm has passed, often as a result of floods or downed power lines.
”In essence, this is a very dangerous storm,” Governor Bush said.
The storm put a damper on the MTV Video Music Awards, causing the cancellation of star-studded concerts and parties, though the organisers remained confident that Sunday night’s award ceremony in Miami would go ahead as planned.
A few hours before Katrina made landfall, workers took down from a Miami Beach hotel roof the giant statue of an astronaut that symbolises the ”Moonman” award MTV hands out at the annual ceremony.
But a few hardened revellers remained unfazed, toasting Katrina in the few bars that were not boarded up and cheering the hurricane with cans of beer in the flooded and debris-strewn streets outside deserted night-clubs.
A lone cyclist yelled out what sounded like a greeting to the revellers, but his voice was drowned out by the storm as a fierce gust of wind suddenly propelled him forward. – Sapa-AFP