KEY WEST, Fla. - Ua pani nā luna o Florida Keys i nā kula, ua wehe i nā hale hoʻomalu a koi aku i nā poʻe kipa e haʻalele i ka wā e hoʻoweliweli ana ʻo Tropical Storm Fay e hoʻoikaika i loko o kahi lā Hurricane Sunday, akā naʻe, ʻaʻole wikiwiki nā poʻe noho a me nā mākaʻikaʻi e haʻalele.

Mālamalama ka hele ʻana ma ka haʻalele ʻana iā Key West a me nā Key Key ma ke awakea o ka Lāpule i ka wā i pouli ai ka lani me nā ao ʻino a ua hāʻawi ka National Weather Service i nā wati a me nā ʻōlelo aʻoaʻo.

"Ua ʻike mākou i nā mea ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi ma mua o kēia ma Omaha," wahi a Diego Sainz, ka mea i kipa aku mai Nebraska me kāna wahine a me nā hoa aloha. Ua manaʻo lākou e haʻalele i ka Lāpule akā ʻaʻole hiki ke lele i waho.

Ua ʻōlelo ʻia nā mākaʻi e lilo ana i mea kaumaha i ka Upper Keys, kahi o ke mile mile he 110, ʻo ka hapa nui o ke alaloa ʻelua e holo ana ma waena o ka pae moku i kū i ka ʻāina nui. Ua hoʻouna aku ka Florida Highway Patrol i mau pūʻali koa hou aku e kōkua a ua kāpae ʻia nā uku ma nā ʻāpana o ka turnpike ʻākau.

Hiki iā Fay ke hoʻomaka e pelting i nā ʻāpana o nā Keys a me South Florida ma ka hopena o ka Pōʻakahi a i ka Pōʻalua paha ma ke ʻano he ʻino tropical tropical a i ʻole makani ʻino liʻiliʻi. Ma waho o ka pohō o ka makani, noho ka hapa nui o nā mokupuni ma ka ʻilikai a hiki ke kū i ke kahe ʻana o ka wai e ka ʻino a Fay.

Ua hoʻolālā nā luna i nā kī a me nā wahi ʻē aʻe e wehe i nā hale hoʻomalu a paipai a kauoha paha i ka poʻe e noho ana i nā wahi haʻahaʻa a me nā moku e haʻalele. E pani ʻia nā kula ma nā kī i ka Pōʻakahi a me ka Poalua.

Ua hoʻopuka nā luna kī ma mua i ka Lāpule i kahi kauoha no ka haʻalele no nā malihini kipa a noi aku i ka poʻe i hiki ʻole mai e hoʻopanee i kā lākou huakaʻi. Ua ʻōlelo nā luna ʻaʻole e koi ʻia nā hōkele a me nā ʻoihana e hemo i nā malihini kipa, akā pono lākou e hoʻohana i ka noʻonoʻo pono.

ʻO Fay, ka ʻeono o ka ʻino o ke kau ʻAkelanika 2008, i hāpai i kekahi manawa i ke awakea o ka Lāpule i kona hele ʻana i Cuba, a hiki ke lilo i makani ʻino i ka wā e hōʻea ai i ke kikowaena o ka mokupuni, i ʻōlelo ʻia e nā forecasters. Ua pepehi ʻo Fay ma kahi o ʻelima mau kānaka ma hope o ka hahau ʻana iā Haiti a me ka Dominican Republic me nā ua nui a me nā kahawai i ka hopena pule.

Ma 5 pm EDT Lāpule, aia ke kikowaena o Fay ma kahi o 270 mile ma ka hema hikina hema o Key West a neʻe komohana komohana komohana kokoke i 15 mph. ʻO ka ʻino ka mea i mālama ʻia i ka makani ma kahi o 50 mph me kahi mauā.

Ua hoʻoneʻe ka poʻe wānana ma ke awakea o ka Lāpule i kāna ala ma ke komohana, akā hiki ke hoʻopili ʻia nā kī. Ua wānana ʻia ʻo Fay e neʻe i ke kapakai komohana o Florida, akā hiki ke noho lōʻihi ma luna o ka wai hāmama, i ʻōlelo ʻia ʻo Corey Walton, kahi meteorologist kākoʻo hurricane. ʻAʻole paha e hele ʻo Fay ma kahi o ka peninsula o Florida e like me ka mea i manaʻo mua ʻia, akā e hoʻopili ʻia ka mokuʻāina e kāna makani.

Ua hoʻomaka kekahi mau ʻoihana komohana o Key West i ka hoʻonohonoho ʻana i ka makani ʻino i nā Lāpule ma ka Lāpule, akā hele holoholo wale nā poʻe mākaʻikaʻi a me nā kamaʻāina ma waena o ke kaona, kahi i hoʻololi ai ke anilā mai nā lā a i kekahi mau manawa ua me nā pā mai o ka makani. Ma ke ahiahi Sābati, ua like ia me he lā kauwela maʻamau i nā kī.

Noho ʻo Sainz a me ka hoa aloha ʻo Ron Norgard, no Omaha hoʻi, e noho ana ma waho o ka La Concha Hotel ma Key West ma nā noho lūlū ʻana, e puhipaka ʻana i nā ʻaka a me ke kali ʻana no ka hoʻi ʻana mai o kā lākou mau wahine mai ke kūʻai aku.

ʻAʻohe paha hopohopo.

"ʻAe, ua loaʻa iā mākou kahi puahiohio me nā makani 105 mph i ka home," wahi a Norgard.

Ua hoʻomākeʻaka ʻo Sainz e uku ʻo ia i ke kiaʻāina ʻo Florida ʻo Charlie Crist no ke kālā keu a kāna wahine e hoʻolilo nei i nā hale kūʻai no ka hiki ʻole iā lākou ke haʻalele.

"Pono e uku kekahi," ʻo ia kāna quipped.

Ua hoʻolaha ʻo Crist i kahi mokuʻāina pōpilikia Pōʻaono ma ke ʻano he kikowaena hana pilikia i wehe ʻia ma Tallahassee. Ua koi ʻo ia iā Floridians "e noho mālie, e makaʻala" a ʻōlelo ʻo 9,000 mau pūʻali koa Florida National Guard i loaʻa, akā he 500 wale nō ka mea e hana ana i ka Lāpule.

Ua pule ʻo Maria Perez, 50, o Key West, i ka Lāpule ma kahi hale pule i ʻike ʻia ʻo The Grotto, kahi e kaha ai i kahi pōhaku e heluhelu ana, "ʻOiai ke kū nei ʻo Grotto, ʻaʻole e ʻike hou ʻo Key West i ka nui o ka ʻino." Kūkulu ʻia ia ma 1922 e nā nune ma waho o kahi hale pule Katolika Roma, ʻekolu mau makahiki ma hope o ka ʻino nui. I kēia manawa, ua holo ka mana o ka noi 86 makahiki.

"Ke pule nei au ʻaʻole e loaʻa ka ʻino," wahi a Perez. "ʻAʻole au makaʻu."

Ua holo pono kahi wati hōʻino no ka hapa nui o nā Kī a ma ke kahakai komohana o Florida a i Tarpon Springs. Ua hana ʻia kekahi wati ʻinoʻino no ke kapakai hikina o Florida mai Ocean Reef ʻākau a hiki i Jupiter Inlet.

Wahi a nā forecasters ua hiki ke heleleʻi ka huina o 4 a 6 ʻīniha me ka nui o 10 ʻīniha no ka Florida Keys a me South Florida.

Ma ka moku ʻo Tampa Bay, ua kūʻai ka poʻe kamaʻāina i ka plywood, ka wai, nā pākeke keu, nā mea hana, a me nā ihoiho. Ua haʻi aku ka Manaʻo Home Depot ʻo Tony Quillen ua kūʻai aku ʻia kāna hale kūʻai Pinellas Park mai ka wai e 9 am, ʻelua mau hola ma hope o ka wehe ʻana, akā ua manaʻo ʻo ia i kahi lako hou i ka ʻauinalā.

"Ke pāʻani nei nā poʻe i ko lākou poʻo, e noʻonoʻo ana i ka mea i hala i ka manawa hope loa," i ʻōlelo ʻo Quillen, e pili ana i nā ʻino me Charley i 2004, kahi ʻino 4 mahele.

Ua pilikia loa ʻia ʻo Key West e kahi ʻino ma 2005, i ka wā i holo aku ai ʻo Category 3 Wilma. Pakele ke kaona i ka hōʻino nui o ka makani, akā ua kū ka ʻino i nā hale he haneli a me kekahi ʻoihana. ʻO ka ʻino make loa loa i kū i ka mokupuni kahi makani ʻino Category 4 i 1919 i luku ʻia a hiki i ka 900 poʻe, ʻo ka hapa nui o lākou i waho o nā moku i piholo.

ʻO ka mahele ʻo 5 Labor Day Hurricane o 1935 i hala ma waena o Keys, i luku ʻia ma mua o 400 mau kānaka, ʻoi aku ma mua o ka hapalua o nā koa o ke Kaua Honua Honua e noho nei i nā kahua hoʻomoana.

He aha e lawe ʻia mai kēia ʻatikala:

Maria Perez, 50, of Key West, prayed Sunday at a town shrine known as The Grotto, where an etching on a stone reads, “As long as the Grotto stands, Key West will never again experience the full brunt of a hurricane.
Fay, the sixth storm of the 2008 Atlantic season, picked up some momentum Sunday afternoon as it headed toward Cuba, and could be a hurricane by the time it reaches the island’s center, forecasters said.
Officials in the Keys and elsewhere planned to open shelters and encouraged or ordered people who live in low-lying areas and on boats to evacuate.