by Patrick Moser
KEY LARGO, Florida Sept 10 (AFP) - Thousands of cars, many towing boats, clogged the only road out of the Florida Keys Friday after authorities ordered the evacuation of the chain of islands threatened by Hurricane Ivan.
"You can't take a chance, this one looks like it's going to hit and hit bad," said Fernando Reyes, 37, as he finished packing his car for the trip north.
His words reflected the mood among many residents who shrugged off Hurricane Charley last month, ignored Hurricane Frances last week, but say Ivan is a storm to be feared.
Forecasts showed the powerful hurricane could slam on Monday right into Key West, the farthest tip of the Florida Keys and the southernmost point in the continental United States.
This, say residents, would devastate the chain of 45 islands stretching 170 kilometers (113 miles) and connected by causeways reaching to the mainland.
A significant number of people here live in flimsy wooden houses that could be smashed to bits by the storm. Many residents rely on boats for their livelihoods, but did not get enough advance warning to get them to safe harbor.
Flooding also could be a major problem on the islands, which face the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the west.
"Storm surge is definitely a huge threat," said Albert Muxo, 33, as he shuttered up his real estate business in Key Largo.
"Right where we're standing, the water would get at least waist-high if the hurricane hits.
"It certainly does look like Ivan must be respected," he said.
The storm hurtled toward Jamaica Friday after leaving a trail of death and devastation in the eastern Caribbean.
Muxo said all his neighbors had either left for safety or were boarding up their houses and packing up.
The road out of the Florida Keys was jammed with evacuees headed to friends' homes, hotels or a shelter set up at Miami's Florida International University, a 90-minute drive from Key Largo and right next to the National Hurricane Center, where forecasters tracked the ferocious storm.
Authorities ordered the more than 80,000 residents and several thousand tourists off the Keys on Friday.
Schools and government offices shut down and hospitals were planning to fly several dozen patients to Alabama, far from the potential track of the storm.
But some residents said they would wait just a little longer to see if the storm does change course. Forecasters stressed that a direct hit on the Keys was not a certainty and that Ivan may head into the Gulf of Mexico, or could go north and slam into the southeastern Florida coast, already ravaged by Frances last weekend.
Patrick McGeown said he would wait for more definite word before he leaves. On Friday, he sat in one of the boarded-up Key Largo hotels he manages, discussing storm preparations with his staff.
"You've got to be careful of looters."
Whether or not the storm pummels the Florida Keys, the islands famed for their fishing, scuba diving and laid-back lifestyle have already taken a major hit, with hotels having to close for Charley, losing bookings to Frances, and again shutting their doors.
But Captain Tony Spohn, 63, who runs a fishing charter in Key Largo, was optimistic. "It's two-thirds in our favor and one-third against," he said as he prepared his boat, "Conch Picker," for the storm.
Spohn remembers heading north to get out of the way of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, but found himself right under the furious hurricane when it slammed over the Miami neighborhood of Kendall.
"The pressure was unbelievable, the house was moving."
He has no intention of reliving that experience, but says he will watch Ivan's track and evacuate on Sunday if need be.
"And after the hurricane, come out here and fish, the fish will be hungry," he said with a smile.