Tropical Storm Alberto sloshes into Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., June 13 (Reuters) Tropical Storm Alberto's chances of becoming the first hurricane of 2006 receded today as it crept toward Florida, dumping heavy rain on the deserted coastline and shuttered homes.

The storm's center was still over the Gulf of Mexico at 5 am EDT (0900 GMT), but heavy winds and rains lashed northwest Florida, where officials had ordered thousands of residents to evacuate barrier islands, flood plains and trailer parks.

At 5 am, Alberto's center was about 60 miles (95 km) southeast of Apalachicola, in Florida's panhandle, and moving northeast near 9 miles per hour (15 kph), the US National Hurricane Center said.

Its maximum sustained winds had slowed to near 65 mph below the 74 mph threshold at which tropical storms become hurricanes.

''Although some potential still exists for restrengthening the likelihood that Alberto will become a hurricane prior to landfall is decreasing,'' the hurricane center said.

The center's director, Max Mayfield, cautioned that Alberto was still capable of causing significant damage, however.

''We don't want to overdo this but we sure don't want to underdo it either,'' Mayfield told CNN.

Florida Governer Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency even though the most likely area of landfall was sparsely populated swampland and farming country, with no big cities like New Orleans, devastated in August by Hurricane Katrina.

Florida officials said 26 shelters in 16 counties had been opened for evacuees.

''This is a serious storm and we are taking it seriously,'' Bush said.

EVACUATION ORDERS Around 21,000 people were affected by evacuation orders. The emergency director in one rural area, Citrus County, went door to door yesterday to urge people to seek higher ground.

Energy traders said Alberto's path should take it too far east to cause disruptions or damage to offshore oil and gas platforms battered during last year's record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season. There were 28 tropical storms in the June-November 2005 season, of which 15 became hurricanes.

Experts have forecast another busier-than-average storm year.

Alberto's formation less than two weeks after the June 1 start of the season seemed to underscore the predictions.

The hurricane center said 4-8 inches of rain were possible through today across parts of Florida and Georgia. Storm surge flooding up to 9 feet above normal tide levels was expected across parts of the Gulf Coast.

While tropical storms pose little threat to developed countries, anxieties in US coastal areas have been heightened following Katrina -- the most costly and one of the deadliest US natural disasters.

Katrina killed more than 1,300 people, caused 80 billion dollars in damage, helped sink President George W Bush's popularity because of a fumbled emergency response, left tens of thousands homeless and helped push oil prices to record highs.

Alberto formed on Sunday off Cuba where there was some minor flooding but no deaths.

REUTERS SHB VV1558