step Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity, could strengthen further over warm water between the Bahamas and the southeastern United States. Along Florida's Atlantic coast, including the densely populated counties of Broward and Miami-Dade, 3 million residents were told to evacuate. State officials said computer models showed 4.7 million of the state's 17 million people were in harm's way, and estimated that 1.2 million buildings could be damaged, leaving around 142,000 families without homes. In some parts of the likely strike zone near Ft. Pierce in St. Lucie county, home owners have barely had time to patch over damaged roofs with blue tarpaulin, or to clear piles of tree limbs and debris left behind by Hurricane Frances, or the soggy remnants of Hurricane Ivan last week. --More 2217 Local Time 1917 GMT
