MIAMI, Sept 13 (AFP) - Residents of the Florida Keys were told Monday they could return to home, but authorities in the state's northwestern corner were considering ordering an evacuation as Hurricane Ivan barreled closer.
The Keys, a string of islands south of Miami, appear likely to be spared a direct hit by the deadly storm whose projected track could take it to the Florida Panhandle later in the week.
Emergency officials told the tens of thousands of residents who evacuated the Florida Keys they could now return home, but asked tourists to wait until Thursday, to give boarded up hotels and other establishments time to get ready for them.
Authorities urged motorists to exercise caution as part of the Keys could still get slammed by powerful winds.
At the same time, officials were considering ordering an evacuation of coastal areas in the Florida Panhandle that could see Ivan making landfall on Thursday.
But Florida, which was already pummeled by two hurricanes over the past month, could be spared a third hit with forecasters saying there is also a possibility the storm may slam into land near the Louisiana-Mississippi border, or could move toward Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.
Ivan on Monday was a top-level Category 5 hurricane, which experts say can cause massive damage.
Several dozen people were killed as the storm made its way across the Caribbean last week.