Caribbean Headline News.....

Thursday, August 21th, 2008

Gators prowl streets as Fay heads back to Fla.
Third dose of tropical storm could bring up to 30 inches of rain


PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Tropical Storm Fay hung offshore Thursday and poured more rain on Florida's central Atlantic coast after flooding hundreds of homes, trapping residents and leaving much of the state a soggy mess. Alligators, snakes and other wildlife were spotted in some flooded neighborhoods after high water drove the animals from their normal lairs. Forecasters expected the storm to continue a zigzag course by hitting the state for a third time in a week, along with Georgia, but didn't think it would strengthen to a hurricane over the Atlantic. No deaths have been reported in the state as a result of Fay, which formed over the weekend in the Atlantic and was blamed for 20 deaths in the Caribbean before hitting Florida's southwest coast. The storm flooded hundreds of homes in Brevard and St. Lucie counties, some with up to 5 feet of water, forcing dozens of rescues. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was reviewing Gov. Charlie Crist's request for a federal emergency disaster declaration to defray rising debris and response costs. Water was still high Thursday in much of southern Brevard County and officials feared the northern sections would be inundated next. The storm was just off the Florida coast early Thursday but continued to dump heavy rain. At 8 a.m. ET, the storm's center was essentially stalled, located about 20 miles east-southeast of Daytona Beach. It was expected to begin slowly moving toward the west-northwest later in the day, bringing heavy rains to northern Florida and southern Georgia. Maximum sustained winds were near 60 mph. The National Hurricane Center said some strengthening was possible while the center was still over water. But the storm was expected to weaken after moving back over land. About 10,200 homes and businesses in Brevard County were without power early Thursday, and about 134 people spent the night in shelters, she said. The county is home to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, which has been closed to most workers and all visitors since Tuesday. The center reported no significant damage. Fay could dump 30 inches of rain in some areas of Florida and the National Weather Service said nearly 25 inches had already fallen near Melbourne, just south of Cape Canaveral. In Jacksonville, residents were told to expect the brunt of the storm later Thursday. With schools, government offices and many businesses closed, streets were quiet and traffic was light at what would normally be the start of rush hour. The southern half of the Georgia coast was under a tropical storm warning as the outer bands of Fay brought start-and-stop rains along the entire 100 miles of the state's coastline up to Savannah, which received more than an inch of rain Wednesday. The National Weather Service said isolated flooding was possible in southern Georgia, where Fay was forecast to dump 3-6 inches of rain if it followed the predicted path south of the Georgia-Florida border through Friday.

Rogge criticises Bolt

The double Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt has been ticked off by the IOC's President Jacques Rogge for showing a lack of respect to his competitors. Mr Rogge is unhappy with the way Bolt celebrated his record breaking victories following the 100 and 200 metres races. While hailing Bolt's achievements in Beijing, Mr Rogge said he would like him to acknowledge the other athletes. "He should shake hands with his competitors and not ignore them. "He'll learn that sooner or later. But (he's) a great athlete, of course," Mr Rogge said.

Chile wants free trade agreement

Chile has indicated its interest in pursuing a free trade agreement with Caricom. The south American country's representative to Caricom Jose Gabriel Zepeda made the proposal when he met with Caricom Secretary General Edwin Carrington on Wednesday. Mr Zepeda identified three areas of co-operation which he said show great potential for enhancing the quality of life of the people of both countries. He pointed to poverty alleviation, the proper management of coastal borders and greater cooperation in the area of trade.

Manning promotes economic union

Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Patrick Manning has been selling the idea of a new economic union to Eastern Caribbean leaders. At a meeting last week, Mr Manning and the heads of three OECS countries, signed an agreement to establish a single economy by 2011, and a political union two years later. Mr Manning has already met with government officials of Dominica, Antigua and St Kitts. There has been some criticism of the move, but Mr Manning told reporters that the leaders going into this alliance have the political will to make it happen.