Preparations
Offshore, Shell Oil removed some workers and equipment from offshore platforms. A hurricane warning was issued from Fort Walton, Florida to Port St. Joe, Florida. Similarly, a gale warning was posted for coastal areas of Alabama and Florida. A hurricane watch was issued for locations in Mississippi and Louisiana. On July 22, a tornado watch was posted for northern Florida. Tornado warnings were also issued, and a flash flood watch was declared for parts of western North Carolina. Gale warnings were posted from Panama City, Florida to St. Marks, Florida, with the expectation of winds to 50 mph (80 km/h). Heavy rainfall of up to 8 inches (200 mm) was predicted, and tides of 2 to 4 feet (0.61 to 1.2 m) forecast. Isolated tornadoes were possible as the storm made landfall.
Thousands of residents were evacuated from the Panhandle of Florida, including Santa Rosa Island and Destin, as well as other low-lying locations. Some residents evacuated to storm shelters that were set up in various cities along the coast. A store in Destin reported increased sales in hurricane-related supplies such as canned goods and flashlights. Florida Governor Claude Kirk ordered health units and law enforcement to operate on emergency alert. Small craft in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico were advised to remain in port until the high seas subsided.
Read more about this topic: Tropical Storm Becky (1970)
Famous quotes containing the word preparations:
“The most evident difference between man and animals is this: the beast, in as much as it is largely motivated by the senses and with little perception of the past or future, lives only for the present. But man, because he is endowed with reason by which he is able to perceive relationships, sees the causes of things, understands the reciprocal nature of cause and effect, makes analogies, easily surveys the whole course of his life, and makes the necessary preparations for its conduct.”
—Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 B.C.)
“At the ramparts on the cliff near the old Parliament House I counted twenty-four thirty-two-pounders in a row, pointed over the harbor, with their balls piled pyramid-wise between them,—there are said to be in all about one hundred and eighty guns mounted at Quebec,—all which were faithfully kept dusted by officials, in accordance with the motto, “In time of peace prepare for war”; but I saw no preparations for peace: she was plainly an uninvited guest.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Whatever may be the reason, whether it was that Hitler thought he might get away with what he had got without fighting for it, or whether it was that after all the preparations were not sufficiently complete—however, one thing is certain: he missed the bus.”
—Neville Chamberlain (1869–1940)