PANHANDLE PREPS FOR NASTY OLIVIA

Early Wed. Morning, October 4, 1995
Pensacola Beach Tribune

PENSACOLA BEACH- Hurricane Olivia raced toward the northeast Gulf Coast late Tuesday, packing deadly Category 3-strength winds and heavy rain. The storm is expected to hit late this afternoon somewhere from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

A hurricane warning is now in effect, including the Pensacola Beach and Pensacola areas.

Olivia has challenged forecasters at every turn. First the storm changed course to move away from the United States, then on Monday it turned back northward.

To top it off, yesterday the storm's northeast pace quickened from 11 mph to 21 mph within hours.

The faster speed has pushed up the landfall time from midnight to this afternoon, forecasters said. That gives local residents less time to clear out, if they choose or are ordered to leave.

Olivia also grew from a moderate category-one hurricane to a dangerous category-three storm. That means its winds increased from 80 miles per hour yesterday morning to 120 mph this morning.

"By far this is the biggest storm this year for Florida," says Joe Myers, the state director of the Division of Emergency Management. "It's the biggest storm for Florida since Hurricane Andrew."

The categories are based on a hurricane rating system called the Saffir/Simpson scale. A category-one storm has winds of 74 to 95 mph and damages trees and weak structures.

A category-three storm, however, packs winds that can damage many buildings and causes extensive coastal flooding or "storm surge." This storm surge can destroy buildings along the coast.

Residents weary of the overactive 1995 Atlantic hurricane season embarked on what has become routine practice of boarding up their homes, some still leaking from Hurricane Erin. Erin slammed the Pensacola area two months ago.

State officials, however, are worried that Olivia's rapid strengthening might catch some off guard.

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