by Patrick Moser
MIAMI, Sept 3 (AFP) - Hurricane Frances lost a little steam Friday but authorities warned it was still a powerful storm that could regain strength, and remained a major threat as it pounded the Bahamas and headed to Florida.
At least one person died in the Bahamas when Hurricane Frances tore through the Atlantic island chain, authorities said.
US officials urged residents in the southeastern US state not to let down their guard and insisted evacuation orders for 2.5 million people living in coastal areas remained in effect.
"There is still time for people to make evacuations," Florida Governor Jeb Bush said at a news conference.
Many people followed that advice, aware of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Charley that killed more than 20 people in southwestern Florida last month.
Fierce gusts of winds already slammed Miami Beach Friday afternoon, downing power lines and sending branches flying off palm trees.
But the full fury of Frances was not expected in South Florida until Saturday.
At 11:00 am (1500 GMT) the storm was 350 kilometers (220 miles) from the Florida coast and 65 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of the Bahamian island of Eleuthera.
Early Friday it pounded Eleuthera after lashing San Salvador, Cat Island and the Turks and Caicos.
It lost some strength overnight and was downgraded from a category-four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which goes up to five.
"I hope people don`t take confort in that fact," said Governor Bush. Frances remained a strong category three hurricane packing sustained winds of 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour with higher gusts.
"The storm is very unpredictable ... there are some indications that as it slows down it might gather steam and also gather strength," the Florida governor said.
And he pointed out that because it is a slow moving storm, Frances "will be with us for a long, long while."
Frances was also was a huge storm, with hurricane-force winds extending 140 kilometers (85 miles) from the center. Tropical storm-force winds reached almost 300 kilometers (185 miles) outwards.
The area around its eventual landfall in Florida should expect flooding and "large and dangerous waves," the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
"Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," it said.
Thousands of people choked Florida`s main highways as people drove away from coastal areas even though gas supplies were critically low.
"It should be a day or so. I`m sure as the bad weather clears inland the tankers will be able to resume their activities," said Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas, adding that supplies should be back to normal by Tuesday.
Long lines formed outside those gas stations that still had fuel, and stores ran out of basic supplies, including bottled water and batteries, as residents stocked up to ride out the storm.
A number of tourists were put up at emergency shelters after their hotels shut. Those hotels that remained open were packed to capacity.
Miami`s normally crowded airport was virtually deserted as numerous flights had been canceled.
Fort Lauderdale`s international airport to shut down Friday morning, and the city`s busy Port Everglades was closed for both cargo and cruise ships.
Several cruise ships changed their course to steer clear of the storm.
Schools, office buildings and restaurants in South Florida also shut down, though some people braved the increasingly strong winds to enjoy a day at the beach.
As a sign of how seriously forecasters took Frances, storm shutters were put up Thursday at the Hurricane Center in Miami.