Waiting for Frances
A band of clouds blow over downtown Orlando as Frances approaches the Florida coast. (JULIE FLETCHER/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Orlando Sentinel
A view of State Road 50 in downtown Orlando shows the streets clearing because of Frances’ approach. (JULIE FLETCHER/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
At 8 p.m. just after sunset over Lake Eola in downtown, storm clouds mix with the beautiful colors before the full force of hurricane Frances hits town. (ROBERTO GONZALEZ/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Ricardo Sanchez and Bruny Pagan try to make it home along Conway Road as the first squalls from Hurricane Frances begin to impact Central Florida this morning. The pair were walking home from the grocery store when heavy rains and wind hit. (TOM BURTON/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Fort Pierce Marina dock master Greg Kiljorn (center) works along with other marina workers in securing boats and fenders already being affected by gusts of high wind clocked at 70 mph this morning. (HILDA M PEREZ/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Jose Guadalupe rests with his dog, Thunder, outside the Barnett Park shelter in Orlando. He uses the sand bags as a pillow. He and his wife Martha Negron live in a mobile home in east Orlando. (JULIE FLETCHER/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Under darkening skies Interstate 4 is nearly deserted, as seen from the Maitland overpass about 9 miles north of Orlando today. (JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
In a prelude to the storm, rain bands from Hurricane Frances come through downtown Orlando looking north on Interstate 4 today. (ROBERTO GONZALEZ/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Hurricane Frances’ wind gusts break off and ignite a power pole along U.S. 1 in south Brevard County. (RED HUBER/ ORLANDO SENTINEL)
A sightseer struggles against tropical force winds on Indialantic Beach. (RED HUBER/ ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Jacob Stewart ,12, of Indialantic, shields his eyes from sand that is blowing more than 30 mph at Indialantic Beach. Stewart is with his father, Scot, and brother, George, looking at the surf. (RED HUBER/ ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Fort Pierce residents Travis Nachreiner, 19, Erik Blanton, 20, and Chris Wheeler, 19, check out the approaching storm bands off the Intracoastal early today as Hurricane Frances makes its approach. (HILDA M PEREZ/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
