closed and highways became congested with thousands of residents and tourists evacuating the barrier islands. Along the Louisiana coastline, voluntary evacuation orders were given out. A state of emergency was declared for portions of southeast Louisiana as tides in relation to the storm were forecast to reach . Emergency shelters were opened throughout Plaquemines Parish, schools were closed in many areas, and the floodgates around New Orleans were shut. An estimated 5,000 people evacuated to inland areas throughout Louisiana. In Nueces County, Texas, work crews worked quickly to clear garbage along the streets and picked up trash cans to avoid possible problems with clogged drains. Throughout the Alabama and Mississippi coasts, schools were closed due to the storm. Impact Throughout the Southeast United States, Hurricane Earl killed three people and caused $79 million (1998 USD; $104.4 million 2009 USD) in damages. Florida Ahead of Hurricane Earl's landfall in Florida, several tornadoes were spawned along the outer bands of the storm. The first tornado to touch down was a brief F0 that caused no known damage. The second tornado, rated F1, caused moderate damage to three homes and two buildings that were under-construction along its path. During a 15-minute span, three brief F0 tornadoes touched down in unpopulated areas, causing minor tree damage. Several hours later, a strong F1 tornado touched down in Port Canaveral. The tornado damaged 14 cars, eight condominiums, four businesses, a mobile home, and a fire station. In all, the tornado caused $6 million in damages and injured one person. On St. George Island, an F1 tornado damaged six homes, leaving $150,000 in damages. High waves, estimated at caused a boat to capsize off the coast of Panama City, drowning both occupants. Upon making landfall in Florida early on September 3, Earl produced a storm surge up to in the Big Bend, inundating coastal communities. Torrential rains, peaking at around Panama City, fell throughout the Florida Panhandle. Significant beach erosion was recorded in Walton County, Carrabelle Beach and Alligator Point. The most extensive damage occurred in Bay County where 1,112 structures damaged by flooding and three were destroyed. In Panama City, upwards of of water flooded homes. An estimated 7,100 residents in Bay County lost power during the storm. Florida officials temporarily shut down numerous major roadways, including State Road 77 due to high water. Portions of two roads in coastal Liberty County were destroyed due to