MONICA SMITH SITS IN A NEAR EMPTY HURRICANE SHELTER IN PERRY, FLORIDA, 2000-09-17 (photo)

Monica Smith, of Perry, Florida, sits in the hurricane shelter set up at the Taylor County High School gym in Perry, September 17, 2000. As Hurricane Gordon was downgraded to tropical storm status, Smith sat alone reading on one of only about twelve cots set up at one end of the gym while the television reporting storm updates sat at the other end of the empty gym. Even though there was a mandatory evacuation order until dawn for coastal residents, most of those evacuated in this rual county of 20,000 stayed with friends, family, or in one of the approximtely 25 motels in Perry. MW/RCS