WEATHER Frances leaves behind 10 dead

The storm resulted in flooding and long lines for supplies in Florida.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Frances completed its two-day assault on Florida, leaving storm-weary residents today with flooding, frayed nerves and shortages of everyday items such as gas, ice and water. At least 10 deaths were attributed to the storm in Florida and Georgia.
About 3 million people had no power in Florida and more than 40,000 more were without electricity in Georgia because of winds that downed trees and power lines. Schools in 56 Georgia counties were closed today.
The onetime-hurricane had weakened to a tropical depression early today and was pouring up to 5 inches of rain on south-central Georgia, with an additional 2 to 4 inches possible overnight. Several tornadoes were reported in Georgia.
The storm caused flooding in parts of Tampa, forcing police to patrol streets with two amphibious tanks and close about a mile of a busy thoroughfare. More than 100 residents of a retirement home were evacuated in wheelchairs as floodwaters sloshed against their feet.
"I'm not scared," said Heather Downs, who moved into the home two weeks ago after her apartment was badly damaged by Hurricane Charley. "I've been through a lot."
Residents of the Florida panhandle withstood the tropical storm's heavy rain and winds of 65 mph on Labor Day, ruining the holiday weekend that forced most of the state to deal with the storm and its aftermath.
Search for supplies
Along the Atlantic coast, motorists waited for gasoline in lines stretching up to five miles while there was heavy demand for water, ice and basic supplies. About 1,500 people gathered at a Wal-Mart in Palm Beach County while up the coast in Fort Pierce, hundreds of people stood in a line with buckets and ice chests on a sunny, steamy afternoon.
"This has been a long haul," said 64-year-old Judy Duffy, of Fort Pierce, who searched with her husband for ice and water but drove away from a distribution line with an empty cooler. "It's tested my patience. I'm not a nice person today -- I haven't had my coffee."
At a Florida Turnpike rest stop in West Palm Beach, a five-mile line of motorists waited for fuel. "It took a little while, but I'm glad to be here," said Greg McCourt, who waited an hour to get gas for a trip to Georgia.
Frances charged into Florida's east coast early Sunday with winds of 115 mph and more than 13 inches of rain, ripping off roofs, smashing boats and flooding West Palm Beach streets up to four feet deep.
Space center damage
The hurricane did more damage to the Kennedy Space Center than any storm in history, ripping an estimated 1,000 exterior panels from a building where spaceships are assembled. No space shuttles were inside the building, but center director James Kennedy said he feared the damage could set back NASA's effort to resume shuttle launches next spring.
Nine deaths in Florida were blamed on Frances, including a grandson and a former son-in-law of Florida State University football coach Bobby Bowden, who died in a collision on a rain-slippery highway.
In Georgia, officials said an 18-year-old woman died Monday after the car she was riding in hydroplaned and overturned during the storm.
The storm's broad bands pushed across Florida to enter the gulf north of Tampa, its path crossing some of the area hit by Charley, which killed 27 people in Florida last month and caused an estimated $7.4 billion in insured damage.