Having already killed seven and resulting in a variety of property damages, Hurricane Katrina set her sights on the Florida Panhandle and westward Saturday as she spun in the Gulf of Mexico.
As of Saturday morning, the storm was at a Category 3 rating, with winds over 100 mph. Forecasters say Katrina will likely strengthen over the next 48 hours and could reach a Category 4 before bearing down on land again, some time on Monday.
Folks from the Florida Panhandle to New Orleans have been warned to be prepared for heavy rains, strong winds and possible tornadoes. The governors of Mississippi and Louisiana both declared states of emergency on Friday. The last time Mississippi and Louisiana experienced a Category 4 hurricane or stronger was 36 years ago almost to the date, when Hurricane Camille roared ashore with winds in excess of 155 mph, causing more than 250 deaths.
Southeast Florida took the first hit from the storm and began cleanup efforts Friday and into the weekend. Katrina made her first appearance Thursday evening in northeast Miami-Dade County as a Category 1 hurricane, with winds of 80 mph.
In southeast Florida, some 1 million Florida Power and Light customers in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties were still without power Friday evening. Electricity had reportedly been restored to approximately 400,000 customers.
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