BY MICHAEL D. CLARK
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Hurricane Georges hit Florida so hard Friday that some Greater Cincinnatians may feel it in their wallets.
Local residents with investment property in and near the Florida Keys spent Friday nervously following news reports.
"I'm stressed out about it," said Rita McCauley, a Hyde Park resident and recent buyer of a pricey ocean-front condominium in Naples. "The main thing I'm worried about is flooding from the sea surge."
Georges reached the Florida coast Friday from Cuba after killing more than 300 people in the Caribbean.
Airlines at the Greater Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky International Airport were canceling and delaying flights to the Sunshine State. Travelers were being advised that hotel rooms in major Florida cities were scarce because of evacuations from seaside communities.
Ms. McCauley said many of her Naples friends had fled before Georges arrived. She purchased her Naples condominium in January and spent Friday scrambling to arrange for a property manager to install hurricane shutters over the home's windows.
"It's an investment so it's a real financial concern," she said. "I've been running back to the TV all day to watch the Weather Channel."
It's the phone that has had Northern Kentucky real estate developer David Herriman's attention lately. He has been trying to get calls through to storm-ravaged Key West where his vacation home sits in the middle of the low-lying island.
"It's really very frustrating. I haven't been able to get in touch with anybody in Key West," said Mr. Herriman
"I know there's been considerable wind damage . . . and one is always concerned about vandalism," he said.
A couple of dozen vacationers have called Jack Corell's Apache Travel agency in Montgomery to cancel Florida getaways.
"I tell people going there they may want to change their plans. The airlines are being very flexible and helping people out," Mr. Corell said.
Hurricane coverage from Associated Press
