Fay is a 'boomerang' storm: Florida under threat

Tropical Storm Fay, after striking Florida on Tuesday with no major damage being reported, now poses greater threat as it gains strength to 'boomerang' into a full fledged hurricane again.

Fay is now being termed as a 'boomerang' hurricane as after hitting Florida on Tuesday, bringing nothing but heavy rains and no unprecedented damage, was appearing to calm before picking up strength and threatening to revert to a full fledged hurricane again. A report by AP stated:

The storm first hit the Florida Keys, veered out to sea and then traversed east across the state on a path that would curve it toward to the Florida-Georgia border. The failure of Fay to weaken meant a whole new swath of the state had to prepare for a worse storm, and meant Florida could wind up getting hit three separate times.

"This storm is going to be with us for a while. That's obvious now. It looks it could be a boomerang storm," Gov. Charlie Crist said at a news conference

The report further stated:

Eric Blake, a specialist at the National Hurricane Center, urged people not to focus too much on whether Fay was a tropical storm or a hurricane, because either one can cause damage. Fay had fallen short of predictions that it could be a Category 1 hurricane when it came ashore in southwest Florida Tuesday morning.

"A strong tropical storm can be very significant," he said, pointing to wind damage in the state's interior and the possibility of flooding from up to 15 inches expected in parts of central Florida.

Fay formed over the weekend in the Atlantic and was blamed for 14 deaths in the Carribean before hitting Florida.

Earlier, KJ had reported schools across Florida being closed on both Tuesday and Wednesday and 30 people having lost their lives in a bus crash. Now, however, the storm seems to be telling a different story and it might be very probable for schools to remain shut through the week. Authorities in Florida, having made preparations early by declaring a state of emergency and taking rampant steps to be ready if disaster strikes, came under the ire of the public and state residents who criticised officials for taking grave steps like even wading off tourists looking forward to having some fun in the beach and sunshine state, over what seemed like a minor storm. A reported 25,000 tourists in the Florida Keys were told to pack up their beach blankets and go home. Hurricane winds travel at a speed of 74 mph. For Tropical Storm Fay, winds peaked at 65 mph. Whether the winds really pick up to the extent of a hurricane, remains to be seen. Florida, having prepared well in advance will hopefully be able to cope until the worst is over.