Maltese tourists 'safe' as Florida awaits Frances

Dozens of Maltese holidaying in Florida had to give up the comfort of their seaside hotel and seek temporary shelter inland yesterday as the state braced itself for the arrival of Hurricane Frances.

Tour operators were yesterday constantly on the phone with their tour leaders in Orlando and Miami where over 200 Maltese people are on holiday.

Their families in Malta were in turn contacting the tour operators to inquire about their relatives' safety. They were assured that all the Maltese in Florida had been evacuated to a safe zone.

This is the second massive hurricane to hit the state in less than a month and it was reported that about 2.5 million residents had been ordered to evacuate - the largest evacuation in state history.

Orlando airport was closed and Miami routes were badly disrupted as the hurricane headed towards Florida at up to 145mph.

The slow-moving storm which ploughed through the Bahamas yesterday, was expected to hit Florida later on this evening or early tomorrow morning.

John Galea, Malta's consul for the state of Florida, said when contacted at his home he was boarding up the windows and preparing for the monstrous storm.

Mr Galea said he was in contact with 13 Maltese who arrived in Miami on Thursday and were yesterday transferred from their hotel along the coast to a temporary shelter, a high school or auditorium.

"Their hotel was close to the water which is considered to be a danger zone so they had to be moved. We are taking all the necessary precautions to ensure their safety," he said.

Fantasy Tours managing director Karl Azzopardi said he could not sleep Thursday night, worried for his clients' safety.

"Forty-eight Maltese left the island today (yesterday) and should be landing in Miami where they were supposed to a take a Royal Caribbean cruise," he said.

"They have already been informed of the situation and once they land they will join the other Maltese in the temporary shelter - so far everything is under control."

Mr Azzopardi hoped that everything would go back to normal once Hurricane Frances passes through Florida over the weekend and the Maltese would be able to embark on their cruise on Tuesday.

Hamilton Travel managing director Norman Hamilton said he had 75 clients in Orlando where they have been on holiday since last week. The group was supposed to be travelling to Miami today to continue on the second leg of their tour on a Carnival cruise liner. The cruise has now been postponed to Monday or Tuesday.

"Obviously we are very worried but the tour operators and the consul have put our minds at rest and everybody is doing their utmost to ensure the passengers' safety," Mr Hamilton said.

The group yesterday stuck to its original plan to visit Disney's animal kingdom park but cut the trip short to meet the curfew of 5 p.m., Mr Hamilton added.

Mondial Travel Group managing director Martin Degiorgio had a similar story to tell and said that about 45 of his clients had their Royal Caribbean cruise holiday slightly disrupted.

This group, which left Malta on Tuesday, was scheduled to embark on the Navigator of the Seas this morning but their trip has now been postponed to Monday or Tuesday.

"Our clients have been shifted to a safer area as a precautionary measure. The families in Malta are worried because they have all seen the devastation of Hurricane Charley which hit Florida a few weeks ago. However, we have been assured they are safe and making the most of the situation despite the disruptions," Mr Degiorgio said.

"We are constantly monitoring the situation with our tour leader and our clients are in good health, albeit a bit anxious," he added.

EC Travel director Edward Papps said he was concerned and constantly on the phone with Florida to get the latest updates.

"Everyone is safe. It is more a situation of panic among the families here who are naturally worried about their relatives in Florida. We are hoping to be back in action with our itineraries on Tuesday," Mr Papps said.

Popular singer Annalise Ellul, who is in Florida on holiday with her friends, said when contacted they had already been evacuated to a safer hotel.

"I am very scared. I have never been in such a situation and don't know what to expect or when the hurricane will hit. The staff here are keeping things under control and have informed us that those who are scared could spend the night in the conference room for comfort," she said.

The Miami Herald reported that this was the first time since 1950 that two major storms have hit Florida in such a short span of time. On August 13, Hurricane Charley caused billions of dollars in damage to homes, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands and killing 27 people as it tore across the state.