Aug. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Tropical Storm Fay began to make its way toward Florida, after rain and winds lashed Haiti and the Dominican Republic yesterday, leaving at least four dead.
The system, with maximum sustained winds of about 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour, was about 270 miles southeast of Key West, Florida, and 205 miles southeast of Havana as of 5 p.m. New York time, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center's Web site. The storm is moving to the west-northwest at about 15 mph, and may cross western Cuba tonight before reaching Florida.
A hurricane watch has been issued by the center for the Florida Keys, a 150-mile chain of islands stretching from the state's southern tip, as well as up the west coast of the mainland to Tarpon Springs, about 30 miles north of Tampa. Fay may approach hurricane strength as it reaches central Cuba, weaken as it crosses the island, and then become more powerful as it approaches the Keys tomorrow, the center said.
``If people are calling, we're telling them there is a mandatory evacuation,'' said Joyce Smatts, general manager of the Pier House Resort in Key West, in a telephone interview. The waterside hotel and conference complex is at the foot of Duval Street, the city's main tourist thoroughfare.
``We had a lot of checkouts today,'' she said.
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