More than 20,000 people along Florida's Gulf Coast were ordered to evacuate, but officials worried some residents in low-lying areas prone to flooding still would not take the storm seriously.
"A lot of people aren't going to leave," said Jackie Gorman, Cedar Key's community development director. "We're hoping this is going to be a small one, but who knows."
At 5 a.m. EDT, Alberto was centered about 65 miles west of Cedar Key, and was moving northeast at about 9 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. Its top sustained winds were at 65 mph; The minimum for a hurricane is 74 mph.
A hurricane warning was posted for the Gulf Coast and a tropical storm warning was extended from Flagler Beach, Fla., northward to South Santee River, S.C. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush signed a declaration of emergency allowing him to call up the National Guard and put laws against price gouging in place.
"We don't want to overdo it. It's not a Katrina or a Wilma, but storm surge and flooding could still cause loss of life," said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center.
Alberto was expected to blow ashore anywhere from north of Tampa to the Panhandle, with storm surges of up to 10 feet. Forecasters said Alberto would likely only become a weak Category 1 hurricane because the warm water it needs for fuel isn't too deep in the area.
The tropical depression that produced Alberto formed Saturday, nine days after the June 1 start of the hurricane season. The storm's winds accelerated with startling speed Monday from 50 mph to 70 mph in just three hours.
"We were surprised, but we've been surprised before," hurricane specialist Richard Pasch said. "The center in disorganized storms can re-form and jump."
Evacuation orders were posted for people in mobile homes or low-lying areas in at least five coastal counties stretching more than 100 miles. Those ordered evacuated included about 21,000 residents of Citrus, Levy and Taylor counties.
Forecasters said it could bring 4 to 10 inches of rain to central Florida and southeastern Georgia. Rain already was falling Monday and at least two tornadoes had formed, though there were no immediate reports of any injuries or damage.
In Florida, homeowners gassed up their vehicles and stocked up on chain saws, plywood and other emergency supplies. Workers at a marina in St. Petersburg said they planned to work through the night securing more than 600 boats.
"This is a little earlier than I expected," said marina manager Walter Miller. "But we've had a bad couple of years, so it's not entirely unexpected."
Alberto also prevented the crew of space shuttle Discovery from flying Monday to the Kennedy Space Center from Houston for several days of dress rehearsals for their expected launch in July.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ramped up its emergency operations center Monday for the kind of disaster relief effort that won it praise for responding faster than the government last year after Hurricane Katrina.
On Monday, Alberto drenched western Cuba after a weekend of heavy rains prompted evacuations, caused some dilapidated buildings to collapse and flooded low-lying areas in Havana. There were no reports of other major damage or injuries.
Scientists say the 2006 season could produce as many as 16 named storms, six of them major hurricanes. Last year's hurricane season was the most destructive on record and the busiest in 154 years of storm tracking, with a record 28 named storms and a record 15 hurricanes.
If Alberto makes landfall as a hurricane, it would be the earliest in 40 years to hit the United States, according to the National Hurricane Center. The earliest on record is Hurricane Alma, which in 1966 hit the Florida Panhandle on June 9 — the ninth day of the hurricane season.
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