The Nation : Floridians Flee Hurricane

People flocked out of the vulnerable Florida Keys and Gov. Bob Graham declared a state of emergency in South Florida as Hurricane Kate churned across tiny Bahamian islands. Boaters gathering in Florida to escape winter in the North were told to head for safe inland harbors, and residents were urged to find secure shelter. Neil Frank, director of the National Hurricane Center, said: “This isn’t the big awesome kind of storm we see in September, but it’s a very respectable hurricane.” At latest report, the hurricane’s highest sustained winds of 110 m.p.h. were about 300 miles southeast of Miami and the eye was being carried west at 20 m.p.h.