STEINHATCHEE, FLA. - As Tropical Storm Fay finally got on track Friday to make its way out of Florida, flood-stricken homeowners got an encouraging sign: Muddy, brown water lines began appearing on the sides of homes, a clue that floodwaters were receding.

The fickle storm, which stuck around for five days and carved a dizzying path that included three separate landfalls, dumped more than 2 feet of rain in some places. But to the relief of Floridians, it was finally expected to veer west over the Panhandle before leaving for good later this weekend.

Officials in Melbourne, one of the hardest-hit areas on the central Atlantic coast, carried boats down streets where just a day earlier 4 feet of water made roads look like rivers. Water several feet high remained in some neighborhoods, but most of the area had drained, leaving behind a half-inch layer of muck and mud.

The storm's death toll rose to six in Florida and nearly 30 overall since Fay first struck in the Caribbean. Florida officials said four people died in traffic accidents in the heavy rain, and two others drowned in surf kicked up by the storm.

Tens of thousands of people from Melbourne to Jacksonville to Gainesville were still without electricity, and residents of Florida's storm-stricken Atlantic coast faced a weekend of cleanup after chest-high flooding. Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said that, so far, nearly 4,000 flood claims from Fay had been filed.

On Friday, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist asked the White House to elevate the disaster declaration President Bush issued Thursday to a major disaster declaration.

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