Hurricane Floyd had barely limped into the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday when regional water managers announced that the storm had poured badly needed relief into South Florida`s regional water supplies.
There was little to clean up in Palm Beach County on Tuesday from the poorly defined storm, which fell apart at sea after doing little more than menace the region.
While residents and businesspeople hauled down shutters and scraped masking tape off windows, gleeful officials at the South Florida Water Management District were declaring Floyd a big success.
``I don`t think you`ll hear the term `water shortage` for the rest of 1987,`` said Tom MacVicar, deputy operations director at the South Florida Water Management District.
Late last week, district officials said they would begin issuing early water- shortage warnings to agricultural interests in South Florida. Those warnings, which never were delivered, won`t be necessary for a while, officials said.
``Lake Okeechobee is coming up; the tributaries are flowing. I think we`re in good shape for now,`` said John Wodraska, the district`s executive director.
Storage levels had declined this summer in the regional system that serves as a backup supply to Palm Beach, Broward and Dade counties, water managers said.
By Tuesday morning, Lake Okeechobee had risen more than six inches across its 714-square-mile area, water managers said.
Floyd`s near-miss path to the south of Miami did not leave the region unscathed. Some farm interests reported wind and rain damages, and beach erosion shrunk sandy shorelines.
But predictions of additional, possibly more severe erosion on Tuesday were not fulfilled as once-raging seas subsided.
On Tuesday, Floyd`s highest winds decreased from 80 mph to 50 mph and it was downgraded to a tropical storm. The National Hurricane Center issued a final advisory at 6 p.m., reporting that Floyd had merged with a frontal trough and was being classified as ``extratropical.``
Farmers returned to their vegetable and sugar cane fields and found minor to moderate damages, mostly from Monday`s gusting winds.
``I think, everything considered, it came out fairly well. Some areas with wind damage weren`t bad enough to have to be replanted. Those won`t be as full set as they might like, but they won`t have to start over,`` said Clayton Hutcheson, Palm Beach County`s cooperative extension agent.
Along the South Florida shoreline, beach erosion was evident. At Gulfstream Park, south of Boynton Beach, a lifeguard said the surf swallowed 3 feet of sand, which eventually may wash back.
Most beachgoers on Tuesday weren`t looking to get their feet wet.
``The sea is running 2 to 3 feet. We`ve had a few body surfers, but mostly it`s been curiosity seekers. Of probably 25 to 30 people who`ve been here, only three went into the water. The others just stopped at the end of the boardwalk to watch the ocean,`` lifeguard Brian Daub said.
Palm Beach County emergency management officials said they saw room for improvement in the coordination and execution of plans to protect public safety, but were pleased with the overall emergency operations effort.
Broward County`s emergency preparedness officials closed its eight shelters late Monday with no overnight guests, and school reopenings progressed smoothly on Tuesday. Broward County received no reports of serious storm damage or injury.
``We came to the conclusion that this was a pretty good dress rehearsal,`` said Hector Castro, Fort Lauderdale`s assistant public works manager. ``After about 9 a.m. or 10 o`clock, it was just a routine day.``
South Dade recuperated on Tuesday from the two hurricane-generated tornadoes that downed trees and destroyed a trailer in Homestead. No injuries were reported.
``We weathered this better than we weathered the pope,`` said Kate Hale, who helped coordinate the papal visit and is director of Dade County Office of Emergency Management.
About 916 people sought refuge at 10 Red Cross shelters in Dade County, Hale said. About of 500 of the evacuees stayed at the South Dade center in Homestead.