Sorry, Charley: Florida Papers Plan to Ride Out Storm, Keep Publishing

By: Charles Geraci As hurricane Charley approaches, several Florida papers on the Gulf coast are preparing for the worst, with publishers sleeping overnight on sofas and plans in place to print across the state.

Both the St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune are using their Web sites to communicate quickly with residents and put out loads of information, including survival guides, area closings, storm tracking, and where to obtain sandbags, plus storm photos donated by readers.

The St. Pete Times announced Friday afternoon that it plans to publish and distribute a complete newspaper on Saturday, including a 24-page hurricane section, assuming "no interruption of power supply" to its printing plant.

The Times will attempt to deliver the paper as normally as possible, with several thousand complimentary copies going to hurricane shelters. The paper's printing plant and newsroom headquarters are not in evacuation zones. The newspaper's Web site had record traffic the last 24 hours, about five times the normal amount, it said.

The Tribune also plans to publish fully, come what may.

In Bradenton, close to Tampa, Executive Editor Joan Krauter is confident, but not certain, the Herald will publish a regular edition Saturday. There are backup plans for Saturday and Sunday to put out a 12-page edition if all else fails, which the Orlando Sentinel may have to print.

Friday's headline on the Herald's Web site: "Nightmare Scenario."

Krauter's home is located in a mandatory evacuation zone, so she decided to take her dog to work with her Friday. "I'm here with my dog, Joey Pulitzer Krauter," she says. "On occasion, he can be seen walking around the newsroom."

The aftermath of the storm may be difficult to cover, Krauter notes, but four reporters from the Miami Herald plan to stick around to assist the paper. Two other Knight Ridder papers are also sending reporters and a photographer.

But Krauter admits the first floor of the newspaper's building will probably flood, although the paper is not in a mandatory evacuation zone.

Further south at the Naples Daily News, Editor Philip Lewis says, "We're in storm mode. We've got plywood and sandbags up in front of our doors and electronic shutters to cover our windows."

The paper has four teams, each with a reporter and photographer, on location to cover the storm. They are equipped with four-wheel drive vehicles and satellite phones. Another reporter is traveling with the Isle of Capri fire department, just off the coast.

"I am always concerned for their safety," Lewis says. "They have been told personal safety is their first responsibility."

The paper has no plans to publish at an alternative site. The Daily News plans to run 10,000 copies, available shortly after midnight Saturday, for street sales. The paper will be updated with a new front page and go to press again early that morning for its subscribers.

It's been a long week for some of the staff. "The publisher slept over on his couch last night," says Lewis. "We also had reporters [stay overnight] with their sleeping bags."

Lewis does not seem to be too worried, though. "The nightmare is on its way to Tampa," he says. "I could pull these shutters down and be perfectly safe."