NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) – Hurricane Frances battered the main tourist hub in the Bahamas yesterday, unleashing powerful winds that ripped apart roofs and shattered windows in high-rises. The stormﾴs violence drove thousands to flee and left one man electrocuted.
Although still powerful, the storm weakened to a Category 2, with sustained winds easing to 105 mph. Frances churned slowly toward Florida, but forecasters warned that it could strengthen.
Streets were almost deserted in Nassau, the capital on New Providence Island, which is home to more than two-thirds of the island nationﾴs 300,000 people. Many boarded up their homes and hunkered down inside to ride out the expansive storm that was headed toward Florida.
Fallen trees, debris and downed satellite dishes littered roads, and power was knocked out in many parts of the city. At least three boats were destroyed. There were scattered reports of looting, including one man who broke into a Texaco gas station and another who was arrested for stealing appliances, police said.
The hurricane was expected to reach Freeport, a smaller commercial center, by late yesterday or early today.
Street signs already were blowing off poles, and palms were bending in the strong gusts. Officials urged all residents to stay inside.
Kenrad Delaney, 18, was electrocuted in Nassau yesterday morning while filling a generator with diesel, police said. His family heard a scream and found him lying on the floor. He died after being taken to the hospital, police said.
The U.S. Embassy in Nassau evacuated about 200 nonemergency employees and their families as Frances neared.
Potent wind gusts whipped through the city streets, and downpours already were pelting the commercial center of Freeport on Grand Bahama Island, where emergency administrator Alexander Williams said about 600 people had checked in to shelters.
Freeport has fewer skyscrapers than Nassau, and its buildings are better-built. Officials, however, warned of potential damage to wooden homes and coastal areas.
Forecasters said the brunt of the hurricane could begin to hit Florida early today, less than three weeks after Hurricane Charley raked Floridaﾴs western coast with 145 mph winds, causing billions of dollars in damage and killing 27 people.
AP
