Greater Fort Lauderdale Minimally Affected by Hurricane Katrina
FT LAUDERDALE, FL, AUGUST 26, 2005. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau reports that Hurricane Katrina minimally affected the Greater Fort Lauderdale area, as the storm turned south immediately after making landfall on the Dade-Broward border between Hallandale, the southernmost part of Broward County, and North Miami.
Aside from some downed palm trees, sand on some roads, and temporary power outages, the destination's tourism infrastructure experienced no major structural damage and minimal beach erosion is being reported at this time. Many hotels are open and operating normally. A flood watch was lifted from Broward County early this morning, as the area experienced dramatically less rainfall than other parts of South Florida.
The Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport has been operational since 9:30 a.m. Passengers are urged to contact their individual carriers for specific flight information. No major damage was reported at Port Everglades, which remained open for landside operations throughout the storm. Priority is being given to fuel and cargo ships; cruise ships will receive clearance to call late this evening and tomorrow, Saturday, August 27.
"It was a windy, rainy night and we feel very fortunate that Broward County was spared from the worst parts of the storm," said Nicki E. Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. "As the sun begins to shine in Greater Fort Lauderdale, we pray that no cities in Florida will be seriously affected by Hurricane Katrina," she added.
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