Hurricane Wilma batters southern half of Florida.

Publication: South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service)

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COPYRIGHT 2005 South Florida Sun-Sentinal

Byline: Jamie Malernee And Scott Wyman

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Hurricane Wilma clobbered the entire southern half of Florida on Monday, killing six people, causing heavy flooding in the Florida Keys, ripping off roofs from the west coast to the east, blasting out South Florida office high-rise windows, and creating the largest power outage in state history.

Despite having a week to prepare, residents were left gasping at Wilma's strength and reach. The hurricane came ashore 22 miles south of Naples as a Category 3 storm and buzzed across the state, the fifth Category 3 or higher storm to hit Florida in 19 months. President Bush declared Florida a major disaster area as of Monday afternoon, with Collier, Lee and Monroe counties qualifying for federal assistance, and the possibility of more counties to be added in coming days.

In South Florida, what made Wilma unique was her wide wake, causing nearly universal power outages and major destruction in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, which have traditionally taken turns bearing...

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