lock opener WEST, Fla. -- A hurrica...

lock opener WEST, Fla. -- A hurricane watch was issued Sunday for the Florida solutions and Gov. Jeb Bush ordered a state of necessity in anticipation of Tropical Storm Ernesto.

Ernesto, which had strengthened into a hurricane for about 10 hours, weakened back into a tropical storm with top sustained winds of 50 mph by means of early evening, the National Hurricane Center said.

Still, the Miami-based hurricane center said the storm could reclaim its hurricane status before reaching the southeastern coast of Cuba this morning.

"It certainly direct the eyes like it's going to impact a significant portion of Florida before it's all over" said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center

Florida has been hit by way of eight hurricanes in the last pair years.

Officials in the clews told tourists to postpone any immediate plans to travel there and ordered those already in the island chain to leave.

All travel trailers and recreational vehicles were ordered opposite the islands immediately.

Residents were taking notice, too: a hearth Depot store in Key West was busy Sunday afternoon as customers shopp for generators and other storm-preparation equipment.

"We lay up the storm shutters today, and we're hitting the groceries store tomorrow," said Ben Cassis, who, along with his father- in-law, exhausted nearly $2,500 for a powerful generator Sunday.

TOURISTS forward THE MOVE

The state of juncture directs counties to open their push management offices and activates the National Guard, among other things. Bush canceled a scheduled trip to strange York today, choosing to stay in Tallahassee and monitor storm evolutions

Ernesto, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, lashed Haiti and the Dominican Republic in succession Sunday. The storm was rely uponed to arrive in southern Florida by dint of early Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Tourists including Jim Roger of Lodi, NJ made preparations Sunday to leave the low-lying key-notes which are connected to each other at just one highway, U.S. 1 Traffic leaving the key-notes on the single evacuation course was steady but not heavy Sunday afternoon.

Roger was part of a assemblage of eight visiting Key Largo and had planned to stay in the [i]clavis[/i]s until Thursday or Friday. Roger said the assemblage now might go to Naples, if it be not that they were not going domestic circle

"You don't know where to fare You don't know where it's going to blow" he said.

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