Some Airports Closed, Others Just Now Beginning To Reopen
As Florida dusted itself off from its latest hurricane
encounter, airports across the state began to open for the first
time since the mammoth storm forced their closure over the
weekend.
Not a lot of planes were in the air, however. The FAA issued an
unprecedented NOTAM urging pilots statewide to stay on the ground
or at least avoid "common knowledge disaster areas" because so many
rotor craft were involved in recovery operations.
Airports in Fort Lauderdale, Martin County, Miami, Palm Beach,
Orlando and Tampa reopened Monday. In Tallahassee, however, the
international airport remained closed as Frances once again
lumbered ashore in the panhandle.
While reports of damage are still coming in, authorities
statewide said Hurricane Frances wasn't as devastating as Hurricane
Charley just three weeks earlier.
Melbourne International Airport reopened to emergency traffic
only on Monday, as officials declared the runways free of debris or
damage. The passenger terminal, however, reportedly sustained
moderate damage -- including roof damage -- as the worst of
Hurricane Frances passed overhead. But the South Florida
Sun-Sentinel reported the worst of the damage was on the GA
section, on the north side of the airport. The paper reports high
winds ripped the siding from the control tower and caused severe
damage to several hangars on the north side. Corporate hangars on
the south side also reported damage.
Wind damage was also reported at the GA airport in Deland, where
at least one aircraft was flipped over in the hurricane.
The AOPA's web site quoted ASN volunteer Robert Wood, chairman
of the US Aviation Expo Advisory Board, who
said, "The center of circulation of Hurricane Frances passed about
eight miles north of KSEF. We had a full blast of northern,
western, and southern winds over a 24-hour period. The airport
sustained only minor, cosmetic damage. The new terminal has a bit
of roof damage, though not significant. Other than that, it appears
that only a couple of older World War II non-used buildings lost
some roofing." There was no reported damage to aircraft or hangars,
according to the AOPA web site.
Wood didn't indicate whether the US Aviation Expo, slated for
the last weekend in October, will go on as scheduled.
(The above image of the overturned aircraft at Deland was
shot by Christina Burke and used with permission from the Daytona
Beach News-Journal -- ed.)