THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 19, 1996 TAG: 9610190227
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 81 lines
Hurricane Lili came ashore Friday near Cuba's Bay of Pigs, wracking the island with wind gusts reaching 120 mph and up to 15 inches of rain - and defying convention as it intensified over land.
And now forecasters warn that the storm, which could yet gain strength, is on course for the Bahamas, having narrowly missed South Florida and the Keys.
The eye is expected to pass just south of Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, sometime today. In anticipation, schools closed early Friday, airlines canceled flights and residents flocked to grocery stores to stock up.
Lili appears to be hooking up with the southern end of a powerful cold front that was sweeping over the U.S. mainland toward the East Coast on Friday. That is expected to sling the hurricane to the northeast.
And after studying radar images from Key West and Cuba all day, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said it appeared the storm was indeed strengthening, speeding up and heading east-northeast.
It's expected to hit the Bahamas at dawn today.
``The eye of Lili maintained its identity while crossing Cuba,'' said Lixion Avila, a meteorologist at the Hurricane Center. ``In fact, it became better defined.''
Normally, hurricanes lose organization and strength over land. But Lili was crossing Cuba from south to north, leaving most of its circulation over water.
``The moisture of the water to the south and the north fed into Lili and kept the hurricane intact,'' said John Hope, senior meteorologist at The Weather Channel in Atlanta.
``It remains very remarkably intact, so we're afraid this hurricane will intensify,'' Hope said. ``There are no inhibiting factors. Those folks in the Bahamas need to be ready. We expect its winds to be in excess of 100 mph, certainly by the time it reaches the central Bahamas.''
At 5 p.m., the eye of the hurricane was about 125 miles southwest of Andros Island in the Bahamas. It was moving east-northeast at 14 mph with maximum sustained winds near 90 mph and gusts to 110 mph.
Hurricane force winds in excess of 74 mph extended up to 30 miles from the center, while tropical storm force winds of more than 39 mph extended 115 miles, mainly southeast.
Storm surge flooding of 8 to 12 feet and large battering waves are possible as the storm moves into the Bahamas. And rainfall of 6 to 12 inches, possibly higher, is likely. ``These rains could produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides over mountainous areas,'' the Hurricane Center said.
In Cuba, President Fidel Castro toured damaged areas Friday, vowing to win the ``battle against nature'' after Hurricane Lili's winds and driving rains collapsed buildings and forced thousands of residents from their homes.
Damage, however, was surprisingly light given the circumstances and there were no immediate reports of fatalities. Lili had earlier claimed eight lives in flooding and mudslides in Central America.
The Associated Press said there were no reports yet of damage to Cuba's crucial sugar and food crops. A 1993 storm caused heavy losses to the island's agriculture.
Many parts of Havana were nearly deserted Friday, with only a few cars on the streets. Churning waves crashed over the seawall, drenching the seaside Malecon boulevard.
State radio said more than 30,000 people around the capital had been evacuated.
Strong winds snapped palm and almond tree branches, scattering them along Havana's streets. Sheets of rain flooded some roads leading east from the capital.
Havana's Jose Marti International Airport was closed, and civil defense workers went door-to-door in driving rain through the capital's poorer neighborhoods, persuading residents to seek shelter in sturdier buildings.
All but the most seriously ill patients were asked to leave hospitals so there would be empty beds in the event of heavy casualties. Schools sent home 100,000 students. MEMO: The Associated Press contributed to this story. ILLUSTRATION: CANADIAN PRESS color photos
Cuban police and residents view a building in Old Havana that
collapsed when Hurricane Lili's winds and rains swept island.
Several other structures nearby are in disrepair and may fall down.
Cubans carrying supplies make their way to a shelter in the city of
Matanzas as Hurricane Lili bears down. Authorities warned people to
watch for dangerous flash floods and mudslides.
KEYWORDS: WEATHER HURRICANE LILI by CNB