Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 6, 1995 TAG: 9509060150
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From The New York Times and Knight-Ridder/Tribune
DATELINE: SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO LENGTH: Medium
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which had been squarely in the path of the hurricane, seemed likely to be spared a direct hit as it veered to the north and weakened slightly.
The hurricane's 140 mph winds reportedly razed at least two coastal hotels and shredded hundreds of homes. Its mountainous waves washed away roads and plundered once-idyllic beaches. Its power and scope terrorized everyone within sight - and within sound.
``It's like a million ghosts howling outside,'' said vacationer Jackie Butler of Davie, Fla., trapped Tuesday on Barbuda, a 62-square-mile island hammered throughout the day by one of the most powerful storms of the century.
Initial reports listed two people dead throughout the Caribbean and scores injured, but communications were severed with many of the hardest-hit islands and casualty figures seemed certain to rise.
``They're getting clobbered,'' said Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center in West Dade.
While Luis' sustained winds slipped, its minimum pressure - a more reliable indicator of strength - remained nearly constant, and forecasters cautioned that Luis remained very dangerous and very unpredictable.
``With a hurricane that strong, the difference (between 140 and 125 mph) is like the difference between being hit by a truck and being hit by a car,'' Mayfield said.
After Luis lost some steam, forecasters downgraded it at 5 p.m. to Category 3.
But the storm was monumental - more than 460 miles from edge to edge - and its outer squalls were already drenching Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Tuesday evening.
Mud slides in Dominica and floods in Antigua were reported by family members and those who monitored radio broadcasts. In Antigua, the maximum reported gusts reached 175 mph.
Officials and relief workers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands continued to prepare for a storm that many feared would be a repeat of Hurricane Hugo.
Luis was expected to continue moving west-northwest at 8 mph, passing north of the Virgin Islands overnight and along Puerto Rico's northeast coast throughout the afternoon and evening today, said Andy Roche, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service here.
``The eye is not going to hit Puerto Rico, but we are going to feel hurricane-force winds,'' he said.
The eye of the hurricane will probably pass 90 miles north of San Juan tonight, Roche said, bringing winds of 100 mph.
As Floridians and other coastal residents of the U.S. watched with growing concern, forecasters remained unable to predict Luis' future course.
``We can't say with any certainty that the U.S. is off the hook yet,'' Mayfield said.
Though slightly weaker than Hurricane Andrew, which devastated Florida three years ago, Luis is far larger.
Moreover, Luis is moving forward at about half the speed of Andrew, prolonging the punishment Luis delivers.
Keywords:
INFOLINE
by CNB