Nature’s Fury Underscored

Triumph in wake of Hurricane Katrina's wrath

Tom Rock

September 18, 2005

RYE , N.Y.

Zack Fanberg was hoping for some winds on Friday. A few weeks ago, he was praying for them to stop.

Fanberg, his wife Sara, and Marcus Egan took advantage of the week's first breezy conditions on Friday to win the U.S. Men's Sailing Championship held on Long Island Sound by the American Yacht Club. Earlier this month the trio of sailors were on the run from Hurricane Katrina; the newlywed Fanbergs abandoned their second-level duplex apartment in New Orleans grabbing only their cats and a few changes of clothes just before the storm hit, while Egan left his home in Metairie , La.

But with stops in Jackson , Miss. , and Baton Rouge , the crew made it to New York for the event. "We felt guilty about going, a little survivor's guilt," said Fanberg, who added he probably would have canceled the trip if it had not already been paid for. "Should we be leaving now when all these people are dealing with the clean-up and not having homes? But we thought it would be pretty cool to represent the area and do something positive for our sailing clubs that were pretty much washed away."

It was an amazing if not heart-breaking voyage just to reach the regatta. Along the way they battled three-hour long gas lines and carpooled with a woman who had $10 for gas because credit cards were not being accepted. They spent a few days in Baton Rouge where the credit union Sara works for tried to regroup, and together they answered anxious phone calls from customers in the Superdome and the Astrodome wanting to know the status of their accounts or if their FEMA checks had been deposited. Once in New York , they found hospitality as other competitors chipped in to buy clothes for the New Orleans sailors who arrived with little more than the shirts they were wearing.

"The whole thing has been a bizarre experience," Fanberg said.

It's not on the level of the NFL's Saints or college football's LSU, which won last weekend and brought hope and pride to the devastated region. But Fanberg's victory - his third in a row, making him just the second skipper to accomplish the feat and the first since 1961 - may help the Gulf Coast sailing community mend its emotional wounds a little more quickly.

As for Fanberg, he wanted this victory more than any other. He said he usually sails for his own satisfaction, judging success against personal goals not the leader board.

"As long as we sailed well we'd be happy," he said of past competitions. "This time there was a little added pressure. We wanted to do something for our clubs, for them to be proud of. We wanted to win. Plus, who the hell knows when I will get to sail again? All of the clubs are gone, all of the events are canceled."

Entering the last race, Fanberg was tied in points with Ken Wolfe of Dallas . The teams were within feet of each other throughout the final race and even came close to colliding at the last jibemark before Fanberg pulled ahead. His town in shambles from the winds, Fanberg was able to harness those winds for a victory and win the Mallory Trophy.

Heading back to New Orleans , the Fanbergs have no idea what awaits them. Their apartment, located near the 17th Street Canal, held presents from their wedding this spring along with Sara's wedding dress. They know their landlord, who lives downstairs, had all of her possessions washed away, but they hope the floods didn't reach their second story. "We really don't know what to expect when we get back there," he said.

Still, there are no regrets about sailing this week. While traveling to New York , the Fanbergs had to stop watching televisions because the pictures of the decimation were too hard to bear. They saw Southern Yacht Club, one of their home ports, burn to the ground on one evening newscast.

"We'll go back, and hopefully we'll be refreshed and ready to start rebuilding," Fanberg said. "And we can bring the Mallory Trophy back to the club . . . for when it gets rebuilt."

--------------------

This article originally appeared at:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/ny-spout184432141sep18,0,5634795.column

Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com

Boats piled up along the shore by Rita on Sept 24 at Port Arthur, TX (AP)

---------------------------------

Sept. 24: A fishing boat high and dry after the storm in Campron, La. (AP)
------------------------------

Kenny Nicholas tries to pull his boat to a safer place after the boat got damaged by strong wind and flooded water caused by Hurricane Rita in Lake Charles, La. (Tribune photo by Kuni Takahashi) September 25, 2005

Sail boats pushed against a railroad bridge in Lake Charles, Louisiana, by hurricane Rita Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005.
(AP Photo/LM Otero) September 24, 2005

--------------------------------------------------------

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who experienced tragic losses in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In this indelible image, Southern Yacht Club, the second oldest in our country, succombs to flames that cannot be extinguished amidst flood waters that cannot be contained.

John Purifoy looks at damage caused by Hurricane Katrina to his Aquarius 23-foot sailboat which broke loose of its mooring in the Coconut Grove Sailing Club in Miami on Friday, August 26, 2005 . (AP / Lynne Sladky)

Todd Goldsberry clings to a piling while making his way back to shore from his sailboat 'Talisman' in the Intracoastal Waterway at the Palm Beach Yacht Club Thursday.

Photo: Lannis Waters/AP

Lee Lavery, foreground, Mark Vidal, left, and Pat Flury try to tie off a boat which broke loose at City Marina Thursday in the Hollywood , Fla.

Photo: Chuck Fadley/AP

Katrina lands a boat on Highway 40 in Gulfport.

A man was found dead from severe head injuries in one of these vessels.

S. Florida boaters tie up, head to safety as Katrina moves in

By Robert Nolin
Staff Writer
Posted August 25 2005

Familiarity makes the scenario no less frightening: A hurricane approaches; South Florida girds for impact. Homeowners wrestle with shutters and plywood, stock supplies or plan an escape.

South Florida boat owners were plotting a different course Wednesday, as Katrina threatened to make landfall as a hurricane within days. Under hot, clear skies they trailered vessels to safety, motored to marinas, cleared decks and set anchors.

"If you don't do it, you get smacked," said Ken DaCosta of Fort Lauderdale , who was busy doubling lines and setting out dock fenders for his approximately $500,000 custom-built, 65-foot Frers sailboat. "I'll set out anchors probably [today] when the river closes."

Cruising past DaCosta at the old Summerfield's Marina on the New River was boat after boat making its way inland before bridges are locked down today at noon .

"We're confident it's going to just be a squall," said Doug Brown who, along with Summerfield's co-worker Doc Savage, was nevertheless stripping a client's 41-foot Morgan motor sailor. Bimini top, sails, furniture -- whatever could blow away was secured or stowed.

"Anything that moves, we gotta tie it down," Savage said.

Mariners were keeping a true weather eye on the storm and their vessels in light of last year's unprecedented four landfall-making hurricanes in the state. Those storms caused a total of $330 million in damage to thousands of recreational vessels, mostly in Florida , according to the Boat Owners Association of the United States . South Florida 's three counties, with more than 150,000 registered vessels, is especially at risk.

So this season, nervous boat owners are considering their options. Skippers can trailer vessels far inland or pay to have them hauled out and stored at a marina. Canal-front boat owners often join with neighbors to "spider web" their vessels with a network of cross-canal lines. Some mariners prefer stout lines at a dock, while others choose to search for elusive "hurricane holes," or protected coves and channels off area waterways.

In Palm Beach County , officials Wednesday allowed boaters to pull their vessels up on trailers and secure them at a county-owned park south of the Port of Palm Beach . Lou Daniello, president of the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, said marine interests hope to expand that program to other parks, and maybe even procure a hydraulic lift to pull boats out. Also under discussion is a system of heavy steel underwater cables to act as strong moorings.

No single hurricane strategy holds all the water.

"There just isn't any guarantee. You have to be lucky no matter where you are," said Morgan Jackson of Delray Beach .

The 77-year-old retired insurance agent has been sailing with his wife Anne since 1971, and dodged several storms during that time. Among items Morgan recommends for the hurricane locker are good anchors, lots of strong line and, most importantly, chafing gear to protect lines from being severed because of continued scraping against a dock or gunwale.

Two years ago the Jacksons found themselves and their 34-foot Catalac catamaran Catalyst off Treasure Cay in the Bahamas with a hurricane approaching. With no other refuge available, they dived down to secure the vessel with chains and line to three submerged concrete mooring blocks. Hardly a hurricane-proof haven, Jackson said.

"That storm had us all full of anxiety," he said. "We within short order got out the prayer book." The storm, however, passed them by.

At home, Jackson uses extra line to tie up the Catalyst at his condo's mini-marina a block from the Intracoastal Waterway . But he knows the risks. "If a wing-dinger comes from the east and dumps a tremendous surge, then all is lost," he said.

Capt. Ken M. Shake, an old salt who has weathered hurricanes since Donna in the early '60s, knows firsthand what storms can do to vessels, even those sheltered at a marina. He was running a barge, crane and tug after Hurricane Andrew struck in 1992 and salvaged about 160 stricken vessels from Miami marinas.

"Mayhem," was how Shake, of Fort Lauderdale , described the scene. "Boats on top of each other, right side up, you name it."

The boat owners association recommends hauling vessels out at marinas and setting them on jack-stands or stacking inside a building. Some insurance companies even cover the costs of a haul-out. Still, a line of vessels on stands can topple like a row of dominos if only one keels over.

Less secure is tying off to a dock with extra line. Sometimes, though, a dock is the only option.

"When the hurricanes come we see a lot of business," said John Henry Falk, dockmaster at Yacht Haven Park & Marina off State Road 84 west of Interstate 95 in Fort Lauderdale .

Timing's important for those seeking shelter upriver.

Once a hurricane warning is issued, local law enforcement escorts flotillas of 20 to 30 boats into inland waterways before drawbridges are locked down as a storm approaches. The Broward Sheriff's Office and U.S. Coast Guard activated the county's flotilla plan at 6 a.m. today. Boats going southbound in the Intracoastal Waterway should gather at Bahia Mar, northbound boats at Pier 66.

The demand for inland marinas as hurricane havens outstrips the supply, said Bob Roscioli, owner of Roscioli Yachting Center in Davie . "It's a big problem," he said. "We just can't handle the boats."

But that's no problem for Dave Lerbs, president of the Coral Ridge Isles homeowners association in Fort Lauderdale . About 400 of the neighborhood's homes are on canals, and 30 percent to 50 percent of the residents own boats. When a storm threatens, neighbors lash up their vessels in the middle of the canals with stout lines running to both shores.

"They make arrangements to tie off their boats in spider webs using trees and docks. It's a cooperative effort," Lerbs said. "If you've got enough line you can really secure your boat very well."

One thing all experts counsel against is staying with your boat during a hurricane. Two men drowned during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 when they attempted to swim from their sinking boat. In July, Ludolph Wilson Jr., 58, died in his 40-foot sailboat when Hurricane Dennis smashed it into a seawall on Stock Island in the Keys.

But circumstances will ultimately dictate where and how mariners secure their vessels.

"It all depends on where you are -- if you're stuck in some lagoon in the Bahamas it's one thing. If you're in downtown Fort Lauderdale it's another," said Shake, the veteran sailor. "Anybody you talk to has a different idea."

Robert Nolin can be reached at rnolin@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4525.

Hurricane floods Miami-Dade County
Homeowners sweat it out in storm's unexpected turn to the south

COX NEWS SERVICE

MIAMI — As Miami-Dade County residents emerged Friday from their hurricane hibernation, many found themselves living not along roads but rivers thanks to Hurricane Katrina's surprise jog to the south.

Motorists spent the day slogging through flooded streets of unknown depth. Vehicles were left stranded, stalled in the flooding or getting stuck in the mud.

Homeowners sweated it out without air-conditioning because of widespread power outages. Crews were busy clearing roadways of downed trees even as rain continued to fall from Katrina's outer bands.

Katrina hit during the week of the 13th year anniversary of Hurricane Andrew. It was a mere echo of that Category 5 storm that leveled Homestead and many of Miami-Dade's southernmost subdivisions. But like Andrew, the Category 1 hurricane didn't go north as expected and struck in places that Andrew had left devastated.

At the Country Walk subdivision, leveled in 1992 by Andrew, residents were told to stay indoors because a nearby lake and canal had flooded and alligators were seen roaming the water-logged streets.

"I will never take a Category 1 for granted again," said Patricia Powers, a Country Walk resident who lived through Andrew. Flooding from Katrina came up under the foundation of her home, bubbling her floor.

"The storm was a shocker because it wasn't supposed to hit," she said.

Shortly before 11 p.m. , the storm took an unexpected turn southward, then stalled, dropping three inches of rain in a single hour, 12 inches over six hours. Homestead Air Force Base reported rainfall of 13 inches.

In oft-flooded western Miami-Dade County , there was 21/2 feet of standing water, officials said. Most of the serious flooding, though, was in south Miami-Dade.

At the development Lakes by the Bay, it was hard to distinguished between the "lakes" and Biscayne Bay . And in Homestead , about 50 homes were flooded. Baptist Hospital in Homestead had two inches of standing water on its ground floor at one point.

"I'm so sick of this," said Pat Jackson, an interior decorator in Homestead , whose apartment building was flooded with several inches of water. "It seems like every other week or month another one comes."

Katrina was the 11th named storm of the season, which isn't even half over.

And Katrina — like Andrew— took lives. At least six people in Broward and Miami-Dade counties died because of the hurricane at last count. Andrew left 15 dead.

On Dinner Key Marina near Miami City Hall , a boater reportedly died trying to ride out the storm, authorities said.

Bud Howse, an elderly sailor who had been in the area for years, was found dead inside his boat. He appeared to suffer a serious injury to his head.

Hugh "Skip" Boord, 73, rode Katrina out on his 34-foot sailboat nearby. He cowered in the cabin as the vessel rocked all night, ripping off his hatch and creating leaks in a boat he's had for a decade.

"They said we were going to get the easy side of the storm," he said. "We didn't get any easy side of the storm."

He added that by the time things took a turn for the worst, he said, "Nobody had time to prepare."

Elsewhere in Miami-Dade, the buzz of chainsaws filled the air as residents and road crews cut branches felled by Katrina. At least 15 small planes were damaged at Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport . On Key Biscayne, several sailboats had washed up onto the beach, while others that were anchored in the harbor smashed against boats docked at a marina. About 10 boats at the Coconut Grove marina had been pulled from their moorings and thrown on the rocks.

Key Biscayne resident Raul Vidal said water reached halfway up his driveway and he had minor flooding through a leaky window, but no major damage. "This is a piece of cake. This is just an inconvenience. It's nature's way of doing landscaping for you — cleaning up trees that are overgrown," the 53-year-old banker said.

Andrew Marra, Tony Doris and John Pacenti write for The Palm Beach Post. The Associated Press and Palm Beach Post staff writer Pat Beall contributed to this story

E-mail: andrew—marra(at)pbpost.com, tony— doris (at)pbpost.com

Story Filed By Cox Newspapers

For Use By Clients of the New York Times News Service

Katrina makes deadly path across southern Florida , then strengthens over Gulf

at 13:43 on August 26, 2005 , EST.
JILL BARTON

FORT LAUDERDALE , Florida (AP) - Flooded streets resembled canals, sailboats sat on the sand and a highway overpass lay in ruin Friday in the hours after hurricane Katrina plodded across southern Florida .

The storm's wind then zoomed to 161 kilometres per hour as Katrina moved over the Gulf of Mexico .

Four people were killed, a family of five was missing at sea and more than a million homes and businesses lost power after the storm crashed ashore late Thursday.

It reached Category 2 status Friday morning, and forecasters said it could become a major hurricane - with top sustained winds above 177 km/h - by the time it reaches the Gulf Coast early next week, perhaps with winds of at least 211 km/h. Forecasters said it could be headed anywhere from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana.

Katrina's first Florida land strike came Thursday night along the Miami-Dade and Broward county line.

Rain fell in horizontal sheets, seas were estimated at 4 1/2 metres and sustained wind was measured at 129 km/h, with gusts reaching 148 km/h. Up to 30 centimetres of rain fell on Miami-Dade County .

"This place went bananas last night," said John Vazquez, 62, who rode out the storm in his oceanfront condominium in Hallandale Beach .

Carolyne and Carter McHyman, also living on the oceanfront, said heavy downpours pelted their windows after the eye passed.

"It's been horrible," Carolyne McHyman said. "Basically all our windows are leaking. We just keep mopping up and taping the windows, mopping up and taping again."

Katrina briefly weakened into a tropical storm over land, but rejuvenated over the gulf's warm waters to become a hurricane again early Friday.

Gov. Jeb Bush urged residents of the Panhandle and northwestern Florida - areas hit by Hurricane Ivan last year and Hurricane Dennis this summer - to make preparations. He said he has asked for federal disaster assistance for Miami-Dade and Broward.

The hurricane was hindering the Coast Guard's search for a family of five who went out boating Thursday morning from Marathon , in the Keys, and never reached their destination of Cape Coral on Florida 's southwestern coast.

"Unfortunately that hurricane is sitting right on top of my search area," Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Smith said Friday.

Three people were killed by falling trees, and a 79-year-old man died when his car struck a tree, all in Broward County , officials said.

Damage was visible up and down the coastal region.

Roofs came off mobile homes in Davie , and dozens of families in Key Biscayne were forced to evacuate homes swamped in nearly a metre of water.

Sailboats washed up onto the Key Biscayne beach. Most lay tipped on their sides, some with ripped sails flapping in the wind. About 10 boats at the Coconut Grove marina had been pulled from their moorings and thrown on the rocks.

In the Keys, where rain totals could reach 50 centimetres, a tornado damaged a hangar and airplanes at the Marathon airport, and more than a dozen small planes were damaged at an executive airport southwest of downtown Miami , officials said.

An overpass under construction in Miami-Dade County collapsed onto a main east-west thoroughfare, closing it for 20 blocks.

Power outages were concentrated in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, where more than 1.1 million homes and businesses remained without electricity Friday. More than 2,000 people were in shelters Friday, including more than 1,000 in Broward.

Katrina, which formed Wednesday over the Bahamas , was the second hurricane to strike Florida this year and the first to make a direct hit on Broward County since a destructive Category 4 hurricane in 1947.

Four hurricanes hit Florida last year, causing an estimated $46 billion US in damage across the country.

Katrina is the 11th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. That's seven more than typically have formed by now in the Atlantic , Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico , the National Weather Service said. The season ends Nov. 30.

On the Net:

National Hurricane Center : www.nhc.noaa.gov

Hurricane Katrina makes landfall on Florida's southeast coast, killing two
By Jill Barton
Associated Press Writer

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Hurricane Katrina dumped sheets of rain, kicked up the surf and blew strong winds along the densely populated southeast coast Thursday, killing two people shortly after it struck land.

Katrina's maximum sustained winds increased to 80 mph before the Category 1 storm made landfall along the Miami-Dade and Broward county line between Hallandale Beach and North Miami Beach, said hurricane specialist Lixion Avila with the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

An estimated 5.9 million Florida residents were in Katrina's projected path.

Ritchie Baggs tries to save his sailboat home Thursday, Aug. 25, 2005, at City Marina in Hollywood, Fla. An anemometer on board registered 60 knots or about 72 mph during wind gusts, which made his sailboat heel over in the slip at a steep angle. Baggs, from Utah, is a live-aboard cruiser.

''It's like a ghost town out here,'' said Mark Darress, concierge at The Astor Hotel in Miami Beach , where the night time crowds generally clog the streets. ''I see the random, not so smart people, riding scooters every now and then.''

A man in his 20s in Fort Lauderdale was crushed by a falling tree as he sat alone in his car, while a pedestrian was killed by a falling tree in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Plantation .

Rain fell in horizontal sheets and blew gusts of up to 92 mph, toppling trees and street signs. Seas were estimated at 15 feet, and sand blew across and covered waterfront streets. Florida Power & Light said more than 412,000 customers were without electricity.

Category 1 storms have maximum sustained winds of 74 to 95 mph, and wind damage to secured structures is usually minimal. Weather officials said Katrina was mostly a rain event, with flooding the main concern.

''In essence, this is a very dangerous storm. It's important to take this seriously,'' Gov. Jeb Bush said.

As the storm took aim on the coast, flights were canceled at Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports.

The hurricane forced MTV to cancel or postpone some of the performances leading up to its award show, including festivities celebrating the release of Ricky Martin's new album. The show itself, planned for Sunday in Miami Beach , isn't expected to be affected.

Floridians wary of Katrina prepared by putting up shutters, stacking sandbags in doorways and stocking up on supplies.

At a supermarket in Hollywood , Cassandra Butler hefted two five-gallon bottles of water as well as a 24-pack of smaller bottles into her shopping cart Thursday.

''It's not that I'm worried. I've been in south Florida all my life,'' Butler said. ''But this is a feature of life down here, and you are smart to deal with it.''

At a Home Depot in Miami , Jose Guerrera, 68, loaded 4-by-8 sheets of plywood onto a metal cart. He and his family huddled in their Coral Gables home as Hurricane Andrew screamed by in 1993 and he has been boarding up the house during hurricanes ever since.

''I have to protect the doors and windows,'' Guerrera said. His wife, meanwhile, was shopping for water and food. ''That's her problem. She's gotta take care of the food. I take care of the work.''

Water management officials lowered canal levels to avoid possible flooding, and pumps were activated in several low-lying areas of Miami-Dade.

''I always prepare for hurricanes,'' said Icel Diaz, 29, a resident of the flood-prone city of Sweetwater in Miami-Dade, as she gathered some sandbags. ''Sometimes I overprepare, buying too many supplies.''

Hurricane Katrina hits Florida 's southeast coast, killing two

05:19 PM PDT on Thursday, August 25, 2005

Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Hurricane Katrina dumped sheets of rain, kicked up the surf and blew strong winds along the densely populated southeast coast Thursday, killing two people shortly after it struck land.

An estimated 5.9 million Florida residents were in Katrina's projected path.

"It's like a ghost town out here," said Mark Darress, concierge at The Astor Hotel in Miami Beach , where the night time crowds generally clog the streets. "I see the random, not so smart people, riding scooters every now and then."

A man in his 20s in Fort Lauderdale was crushed by a falling tree as he sat alone in his car, while a pedestrian was killed by a falling tree in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Plantation .

"In essence, this is a very dangerous storm. It's important to take this seriously," Gov. Jeb Bush said.

As the storm took aim on the coast, flights were canceled at Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports.

Floridians wary of Katrina prepared by putting up shutters, stacking sandbags in doorways and stocking up on supplies.

At a supermarket in Hollywood , Cassandra Butler hefted two five-gallon bottles of water as well as a 24-pack of smaller bottles into her shopping cart Thursday.

"It's not that I'm worried. I've been in south Florida all my life," Bu tler said. "But this is a feature of life down here, and you are smart to deal with it."

"I have to protect the doors and windows," Guerrera said. His wife, meanwhile, was shopping for water and food. "That's her problem. She's gotta take care of the food. I take care of the work."

Water management officials lowered canal levels to avoid possible flooding, and pumps were activated in several low-lying areas of Miami-Dade.

"I always prepare for hurricanes," said Icel Diaz, 29, a resident of the flood-prone city of Sweetwater in Miami-Dade, as she gathered some sandbags. "Sometimes I overprepare, buying too many supplies."

Dozens of surfers and spectators lined beaches from Palm Beach to Miami-Dade counties to take advantage of the massive waves on the normally placid seas, and long lines didn't seem to be a problem at most area gas stations, supermarkets and hardware stores.

"This is the best of both worlds because it'll bring great waves, but it is not at all dangerous," said surfer Kurt Johnston, 22, of Davie .

Resources

National Hurricane Center