Katrina Soaks Florida, Gains Force in Gulf

By Phillip Davis

Published August 25, 2005 at 11:00 PM CDT

Hurricane Katrina gains strength in the Gulf of Mexico after drenching the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area early Friday. Utility companies reported more than 1 million customers without power as of Friday afternoon.

The storm brought drenching rains as it crossed over the state early Friday. Meteorologists now expect Katrina to make a new landfall as a Category Three storm Monday morning in the Florida panhandle. It was rated as a Category One when it made landfall in Miami.

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Phillip Davis

Correspondent Phillip Davis covers South Florida and beyond for NPR. He joined NPR in January 1993, and has reported on such topics as the Elian Gonzalez affair, the disputed 2000 presidential election, and the growing cultural diversity of South Florida. Davis has also filed reports from England, West Africa, and South America for NPR. His pieces can be heard on NPR's award-winning newsmagazines Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, and All Things Considered.