We are preparing for a hit, Keri, Mark and Fred will be on duty. If we do take a hit FL good flocking by. May do it any way, just cannot do the cleanup replacing again. Ain't gonna get stuck on the road in gridlock running out of gas either. Sit here and ride it out then haul the mail north. N.W. Indiana or eastern Iowa., within a days drive of Kath's family.

Hang in there, Terry!

If there's anything we can do, please let us know.

Don't give up.

Gods Speed old man.

You and Mrs. Lee hang on tight Terry, We'll be here if you need us.

Thanks, we will hunker down like the last time. Once over I might ask for a voluntary moving crew to get our remaining stuff "Up Nawth".

Just don't land in IL and hate yourself but you know that already! Stay safe.

Prepare smart and Stay safe

Southeast Iowa is an undiscovered gem. It's a little redneckish especially if you are close to the Mississippi but the weather is not as bitter cold as anywhere north of I-80. They also tend to miss the tornado's that central and northern Iowa get. It would be great to see you in the State, Terry. I'm sure leaving Florida would be tough to do.

kwg

Redneckish is OK by me! Leaving FL will be a lot easier this time, trust me.

Myself and the girls are sending prayers up for you and your wife, and all others in the path of IRMA. May the Good Lord bless you and keep you all safe.

God be with you.

Lynn

Good luck Brother. MJ and I will be praying for you guys. Lots of land in Texas too. Stay safe Bro.

Jim

Terry, you get jammed let me know. Pretty much on the coast but about 100' above sea level.

Wherever it tracks - it ain't gonna be pretty.

Thank and bless you all.

Nothing to it. I left there 10 years ago, and don't care if I ever go back.

Not much we can do but pray. Won't be back in town for a couple of weeks but keep us updated and if you need anything we'll see if we can help, however we can.

Jeff

I'm kinda footloose at the moment. Just say the word, Terry!

Ed

Its wise that Gov. Scott has already declared a state of emergency. It appears that FLorida will not escape at least some of its wrath.

You have a place in the Bluegrass, my friend.

Just got off the phone with my sister in Boca Raton. Latest storm track is predicted to bring it right up the coast and put the eye about 10 miles east of her house - she's two miles inland from the ocean. She was out Saturday getting bottled water, canned foods and gasoline. As the storm gets near she and her husband will put up the steel shutters on the windows. She and I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale but she's lived in S. Florida all 67 years of her life so this ain't her first rodeo. Not taking a callous attitude toward it but more like "oh well, here we go again...".

Terry:

Board up the windows. Stock up with water, food, fuel for stoves, lanterns and generator, Bic lighters, etc.

Prep the boat for emergency evac.

Keep your head down.

Good luck old buddy.

Let us know if there's anything we can do to help.

KC

Terry, us old timers have the hurricane prep drill down pat. It starts in December, with the end of the last season, and preps are ongoing through the start of the new Season in June.
at this point, it's anyone's guess as to where Irma will track. Folks saying that they know for sure are full of chit. I have a condo in Miami right on Biscayne Bay. Wife is down there, and won't leave. Here in North FL, we are just as likely to get gobsmacked with this one as she is down there.

fook this fooking state. It's like playing Russian Roulette every year with this garbage. we are set here, generators "op-checked" and running, fuel stocks full, plywood for windows ready, etc. We are forty miles inland from the coast, but still, way too many trees around my house.

God Bless you and yours Mr. Lee.

Hunker down!!

If you make it through this part of Tennessee, you and the wife are welcome (cats too). You'll have a bedroom with an en suite.

I'd not worry, winds are only at 175mph.

Nice offer Steel, be cool as hell to bunk with ol T for a month or six.

Hunkering down in 175 mph winds may not be a wise choice. Id be gone, TL.

Thursday is shaping up to be decision day for us. We will be ready to head north by then.The house here has hurricane rated doors and windows, but if the water goes higher than 10 feet above the normal high water mark we will be [bleep].

Rick, are you near water?

Yep. On a canal that connects to Boca Ciega Bay. Boat is on a lift and we don't have a trailer so we may lose it.

If the road is open.....CARRY YOUR AZZ!!

Anytime I've thought about Florida or going there......I break out in a severe SWEAT!!

Be safe my friends.

This reminds me of Katrina/Rita. After Katrina hit Nawlins and Rita hit the gulf shortly after the exodus was on, big time. Except couldn't get out of town for traffic and no fuel. Abandoned vehicles on I45N out of Houston. If anyone is thinking of bailing before Irma, now's the time to consider that plan. Fuel, first, then decide where you want to go for a visit. I doubt Irma hits as a cat 5, but a cat 4 can ruin a week, easy.

To hail with riding these out if you're near the coast. Yet, it's so easy to get trapped if you wait to long to vacate.

Hang on tight Jorge, Keep Mrs Jorge and yourself safe.

I know its not easy but if that thing was coming toward me, I'd get ahead of everyone else making the decision to leave.

Pack up the can't be replaced items and go find a relative inland who you can stand for a couple of weeks

yea, that's what I was saying. No way I'd want to be on the bad side of a Cat 4 or be stuck surviving in the aftermath for the first week or so afterwards

Well, Rockport and Houston are good examples of FUBAR

Terry..... you have spent your entire life as a misplaced Texan.

Time to remedy that situation. North Texas only has tornadoes, no hurricanes.

Looks like Irma is going to eat Florida from the bottom up.
I'd be bailing.

Irma has Jose following it.

I'm up on the Georgia Florida line but I'll be leaving if it comes my way. Even the weakest storms throw tornadoes and knock out power. I've been through a couple of hits and a half dozen close passes and it's not worth staying for. When I was a teenager a weak hurricane came through Tallahassee and nearly killed me and my family. A tornado in the storm snapped a huge pine in half and drove it though our house. It crushed the table we were sitting around playing a board game by candlelight. A foot and a half either way would have maimed or killed either me or my mom.

Remember Katrina was "just" a Cat 3.

Sitting in my house 150 miles from the coast two weeks after Katrina and still having no electricity made me realize that the category rating system has some serious flaws. It just goes by wind speed, but what it doesn't take into account is sheer size. Katrina was so massive that it took up the entire state of Mississippi when it came inland, that amount of area affected by the low pressure generated a huge storm surge along the coast and meant that it steamrolled inland without decreasing in strength very much. Size matters when it comes to hurricanes.

You right. Ike was only a 3 and so was Alicia in 1983 and both walked straight up I 45N through Houston and into Montgomery county (80 miles from Galveston) with winds over 100 mph. Trees everywhere. And South Florida evacuees have no where to go but straight north for an exit strategy. I reckon it may get a little crowded. Of course, it could turn north soon and miss ya. Hurricanes are fascinating.

As of 2:00, sustained winds are 185 mph.

Y'all be safe down there. I hope it doesn't hit you, but the way it looks, someones gonna get it. Hell, as big as it is, it might get all of us on the east coast.

Size matters but the low pressure makes the real difference.

The days after a storm with really low pressure sucks.

Just remember stuff can be replaced you and your loved ones CAN NOT.

When in doubt get the hell out.

when Katrina came through Miami, it was a Cat 1. Still took out every stop light, every cell tower, flooded all the streets, knocked down thousands of trees, and put every gas station in Dade County out of business. It killed ALL electricity in the county, for up to two weeks in some places. Category One. Think about it. Oh, and within a week of Katrina, we had Wilma coming West to East. Busted up everything left.

Terry, you'd be most welcome in Iowa!

Friend of mine had a house in Biloxi about 2 blocks off the beach. A casino landed on top of it.

I want to know if the fish are swimming up Miami's streets (not even an attempted veiled reference to Mr. AL Gore's declaration per Climate change).

All condescension aside, I pray y'all in Florida stay safe. Most who post here I expect are independent souls, but there are so many of the other kind...

Now Irma is the strongest Atlantic hurricane (outside gulf and Caribbean) ever recorded:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article171291337.html

Regardless of the tornadoes and rain, I dont want to be in a house hit by even 120 mph winds again.

Like Mannlitcher said prep starts way before a storm comes. I am pretty much ready down here in Fort Myers. Water and food all figured out. I just have to run the shutters down if it hits us and wait it out. Having some camping skills and equipment comes in handy at times. Thursday is my DDay as well as far as final stages of gettting ready.

Terry. if you came out here - "The Warden" would offer hots and cots!


Never been a hurricane in northern NM, that I can recollect - and very few tornadoes!

Please be safe.

I would consider taking a vacation, somewhere else.

Seriously, we had a train derailment and evacuation close by,
last month. Told Mrs. Buck, "if it was us, F the shelter and other B.S.,
we would load the car and go somewhere".

Very kind offer Scott but we will batten down the hatches at the sons digs in S.E. Northport.

Hey Gunner, I got the Old Army charged and capped in case I run out of 45acp!

I remember on a tv show a few years ago, that some company was making a survival sphere. Might be a good investment for some.

Just moved into our newly built home a month ago soooo... not ready but bustin my balls gettin ready. Wife is abroad visiting family and in full panic mode. 3 kids, 2 dogs, got it all under control 😀

We spent a year in Taos, loved NM but the draw of family was too strong for the wife. It was a "swap"job with the Indian health service and she decided to turn down the offer of permanent employment with the Taos Picures hospital.

Jose is coming in behind Irma.

Prayers and good hopes for all y'all in Fla. having just come thru Harvey, I have a new appreciation for what may be coming. Keep us posted, guys.

I live in Naples and it could get real ugly.

My son and daughter-in-law are in Deltona. Only 24 FLAT miles from the coast. Told them they shoulda took some of these mountains with them.

Dang this one appears to be coming fast, hard and furious with Jose closely behind.

I sincerely pray with great conviction that all who live in and around our coastal areas are spared from any further devastation.

Further, I believe God is not happy with some of us and these are reminders of who's in control.

Heed the message! Godspeed and stay safe!!

that one will turn North into the Atlantic

This storm is a monster. The damage it will do to the island nations in its path and, ultimately, Florida is biblical. Let's hope this bitch dies down or misses completely in the coming days. Many people will die if not.

Supposed to leave Saturday for a week in Destin!! Impeccable timing th wifey and I have:D

Mike

They're all dangerous. But over the last few years, I've gotten really tired of dealing with hurricanes. I'm always prepped and provisioned. It's not just that. Wilma kicked our ass after Katrina. It ran up on the other side of the state into the Gulf and took a swipe at MX, and then proceeded to blow down trees all the way across the Everglades before it beat us up here.

Been through so damn many of these things I don't readily remember their names any more. 49 years in FL. Maybe it's time to go. In the meantime, still have to finish up the rest of the hurricane shutters. Was putting them up in the dark until 9:30. Still have to get everything inside, too, like grills and chairs and tables and all the other stuff outside.

Unless you are working on the sea, a bartender, or whore, why would you live on a coast?

I have many good friends in the West indies, they are getting pounded Cat 5 - 180 mph winds...no basements or low ground to hide there.

its part of life living on the coast, i wouldn't live anywhere else,

Terry
Hate to say it but I bet we could find posts from you saying this exact thing about getting the Hell out after every storm you have weathered...

Stupid question for those on the coast.
I see and hear of plywood and shutters.
What do you attach them to? Do your
homes have some kind of anchor points?
Or do you have to have wood trim that you
just screw into? Just wondering how that is
done, without ugly hardware on the house, or
ruining the trim.

I've seen plywood and shutters installed about every way you can imagine. Most of the shutter systems have tracks or stainless fasteners permanently installed. Plywood is typically screwed to wood trim or brick mould. The funniest is plywood screwed to Dryvit (styrofoam). If it manages to make it thru a storm, the holes left behind continually leak and cause serious damage down the road. The installations get worse the closer the storm gets.

I don't know about Texas and Louisiana, but the rest of the Gulf Coast now requires impact glass on new construction and remodels. No need for plywood or shutters.

You makes a convincing argument to move to the coast.....

My Shutters are metal and roll down. The housing they are in just looks like part of the trim. I have couple that are manual but most are electric. They have a manual override so you can lower or raise with a hand crank. Some have metal slats that go into a rail on the bottom and top edge of the window. They put studs into the stuco to secure the rails. They remove everything but the studs when not in use. They paint right over the studs so you cant really see them. Others use plywood and just screw it into the house. I also have addition supports for my garage door. There are many different types of decorative shutters you can get on hinges that just close as well. Believe me if you ever through any huricanne you dont give rats rear what they look like you just want something.

49 years? Another new comer immigrant. lol I still remember living in Largo back in the late forties. A hurricane came through. I wandered out of the house, and into the yard. The wind picked me up and carried me a couple of blocks. I was like three at the time. Boy were my 'rents pizzed off once they found me.

Just got turned on to this link. Move the map to get a good look at Irma.
https://www.windy.com

St Martin is getting pounded right now. Looks like the east coast of FL is now the most at risk.

That's a great link Earl. Thanks

It seems to me that if Lincoln shredded the constitution then it must be OK. I mean the old war monger is held up as an icon. He's like the fourth member of the Trinity. Why do you think they always look back to him as an example?

I left in 1995 , thought briefly about living in the Panhandle after retiring but now don't think that will even work. Hang in there

LMFAO....no state is worth that , plenty of other better places to live. That said I bet the wind slows down considerably before it hits FL.

Not sure what Florida's building codes are, but we're in a high wind area and houses are required to be designed for 120 mph gusts. The interesting thing is I was talking to my builder and he said to meet the wind loads requires more substantial structure and tie in to the foundation than the seismic loads.

You continue to impress.

Strongest models now have it curving out into the Atlantic by the time it gets to central and northern Florida, only hitting the eastern coastline with the outer arms. This is good news.

Seriously? Gees.

Lots of reasons to live on the coast. All these storms and such are just something you plug into your decision making process. My big part of that would not be the storms, it would be that their are typically just too many damned people. Give me a secluded lake in the woods over an ocean any day.

A few random comments.

One way of attaching metal storm shutters is to have have bolts or screws extending outward from the corners of the windows and halfway along the sides if it's a big window. The metal shutter is sized to fit and has corresponding holes which fit over the bolts and are held in place by hex or wing nuts. The attachment points are unobtrusive and don't spoil any architectural design but the shutters do make the house really dark.

Every area has its good and bad points. Why would anybody live in NE or KS or OK with tornadoes constantly coming along killing people, or Hawaii with those volcanoes or put up with those bitter cold winters (which happen every single year like clockwork) in the Dakotas or Minnesota? Folks go for the good and adapt to and overcome the bad. Idaho is a great place most all year long - it doesn't get too awful cold but does get kind of hot in summer. Boise in particular was rated something like the 2nd safest place in the nation for weather disasters (as long as the Yellowstone caldera doesn't blow), but this morning the smoke from fires is so thick you can’t see 300 yards and it stings your eyes to be outside for any length of time. Oh well, at least it’s not a hurricane or tornado.

Probably the toughest codes in the country with regard to wind, they learned their lesson from Andrew

Dropped on your head at birth? Ever think that some people have lived their entire lives there and love living there. FL is not for everyone especially with big hurricanes bearing down on you but the rest of the time it is a very special place. I have a lot of fond memories from living there .

To each his own. I've been to Florida a couple times. I saw nothing that interested me. Same thing for Texas. Eastern Tennessee, Western North or South Carolina or northern Georgia is about as far as I want to go. I mean the highest point in Florida is 345 feet.

Wouldn't have expected anything less from you.

Just saw some videos from the Virgin Islands. Did not look good. Not good at all. And now they're saying this is definitely bigger and badder than Andrew. Oh man!

Be ready guys 'cos this one could require the extra diligence. I say get out if you're able.

Godspeed and please let the rest of us know what you need!

Yet you live in Ohio Plenty of Ohio Residents on Floridas west coast don't agree with you.

I could handle Ohio, though too hot for me in the summer

Some of it is what you are used to. A woman grows up in an abusive household, sometimes ends up marrying into another.

Common saying up here, we can live with the snow, we don't have floods or hurricanes. Snow can collapse a building, but it is out of neglect, or under built.


What I find F'd up is the people who say the stores ran out of plywood. I keep my snow shovel in summer, and rake in the winter. Reading above about shutters. That seems the way to go. But we forgot about them. Maybe don't want to be reminded of it. Like looking at a corpse in the yard.

There was also a time, people didn't build in flood plains. But communites have sprawled.

With my job, I could live where I want. LIke many, family plays into it a bit, but the heat is enough to keep me out. I used to work in mills. But they paid me to be in biblical heat.



Maybe man was meant to migrate with the seasons.

sometimes a statement gets made on the internet that might hold a grain of truth.

Been through a few, don't like it too much. I went through Cleveland Tex this A M on way to deer lease. Crap piled in ditches, just like where I work. Lots of people hurt by Harvey!!

Dillonbuck, the hurricane shutters like mine have to be manually put up and manually taken down. They are corrugated panels. The upper part of the panel fits in a track approx. 2 1/4" wide. The bottom of the panels are usually attached 1 of 2 ways - with threaded bolts that you slide down a track to correspond with holes punched in the corners of each panel, or a 90 degree piece of angle iron attached to the wall with intermittent threaded bolts already set with spacing to correspond with the distance between the holes on the bottom corners of the panels.

The nicest ones are permanently attached to the block walls and open and close like an accordion. Commonly called accordion shutters.

My brother has these on his house..expensive but worth it

Get far enough north and you won't need a deer lease. Just buy your own land, or hunt public.

For now. Immediate family is here, since the migration, job is here. When I retire I'm gone. My dad will be gone by then most likely, and sadly maybe my wife too. I have no children and I am not close to my siblings. Nothing else to hold me. Selling this house, and I don't care if I walk out with scratch, picking up my guns and leaving.

That might be to south eastern Ohio in the hills. TUSCO range not far away, Thunder Valley pretty close. 5 Muskegum Watershed lakes inside an hour and a half. West Virginia and Kentucky not far. Finally able to live the mostly reclusive life I want. When they find me in my house dead I'm fine with that.

Those are very expensive. Couple neighbors have them. FEMA had a deal where you could get them if you were elderly. I will put them in my house one of these days. Probably a few at a time so it doesn't hurt so bad in the wallet.

Otherwise, I'll wait til 65 and see what FEMA's offering then.

"I have a lot of fond memories from living there".

Hmmm....like SWEATING & SWATTING!

This will only be the second hurricane for us Art but this time I think it is done. Losing on house is one too many, sure don't know how we will deal with it a second time.

Lol...Not being around people like you is plenty good reason to live here.

LOL
He will miss the point Pat.

Pussies always do. That's why they're pussies.

Crap. Now how many pages do i have to back up and read to catch the gist of this?

How is the leg coming along Terry? Hoping for the best for you and this storm. Wish the SOB would blow out to sea.

Woulda been hard to do before that little deal a Kittyhawk. Of course, Martians may not have needed to consider that, huh?

T Lee

I don't know how you feel about technology but if you have a smartphone you should load a free app called "Zello"! It's been instrumental in many many rescues from the Harvey disaster! Many channels are already setup for dealing with the coming Irma destruction! Just might help you keep you and the little lady informed! Hope ya stay safe!!!

Or he could buy his own land where he wants or even quit hunting if he wished, right?

So, whats the point?

The point is that he can be a he-man on the internet. Tomorrow he 'll "take the train" to his little piece of heaven.

Amen Pat...

Don't know why clowns like Jerk... hang around and pollute the internet...

His Play Station must be in the shop....Again...

It is only 240 ft. in elevation where I live, and it is also a long ways to any ocean. This place has never flooded since my family has lived here, since 1879. Elevation isn't everything. miles

latest track shows Irma running right over my casa in Gainesville. Cat one probably, maybe a two. Shrug. Not my first rodeo. I have insurance for flood and wind. House is in great shape, only worried about the shed. Water, fuel, food, gear and stuff all in readiness.

I pray for all that are going to be affected by this storm.Do not take it lightly.If you decide to stay,have extra water,food,cash,flashlights,batteries,gas,generator and anything else you think you may need before and after the storm.With the whole state of Florida being affected,it's going to take some time.Plan for extended power outages.My Aunt called me last night and said they got power at there house in ground zero Rockport,Texas.They have been running off generator power for nearly two weeks.The amount of workers in the area has been phenomenal.They still have a long way to go,but great progress is being made.

Same here, Sam. we are in a no flood zone, thankfully.

Good Luck! Hope it weakens some before it gets your way!

President Trump loses $28 million beach front home (click pic for story)

Yeah, I'm right near you. I've got a huge dead oak right next to my shed, which is a worry. I don't think it's tall enough to reach the house if it fell, but not sure.

He is a builder so of course he got a deal on them...they are not as expensive as you think though . He has been retrofitting lots on the beach with those for sure, he is going to be crazy busy after this beotch comes thru. When he built the house he spent 30K on fill dirt to jack that sucker up a tad. He said it was the best part of building that house

Kinda makes a big difference in why elevation matters, no?

Talked to my sister last night, she's in Boca Raton which is in the X-ring. They have the metal shutters over the windows, all the patio furniture is in, gas tanks in the vehicles all full plus extra in gas cans, cash in small bills on hand and plenty of canned food and water stored away. Nothing to do now but sit and wait.

I'd pull out a chainsaw and drop that biitch right now, better to choose where it falls.

Here’s an interesting gif comparing the size of Andrew vs. Irma. Andrew is the little bitty one on the left that flashes on and off.

Jose upgraded to Cat 4!

Possible Hurricane Lee right behind Jose!

It's beyond my skill level to deal with big dead trees of that size. I doubt any tree services would be able to take care of it by the time the hurricane hits, either.

Miami-Dade codes are the toughest in the country. Any window you buy, at least in FL, has a rating to let you know how it stands up to Miaimi-Dade code.

I've never met a natural disaster that could read a code book. I've also never seen a building department that requires all structures to be built above the highest possible storm surges or flood water lines.

Best run like hell!

I bet all of those countries we have given aid to will come to our rescue!!

Island is left uninhabitable.


http://www.faithfamilyamerica.com/h...itable_destroys_90_percent_of_structures

Wise for a man to know his limitations, best wishes if the storm rolls in your way.

Thanks. Bwana.

Indeed! Damn things can, and will, kill you.

Great link! Tks.

The view from inside an eye must be awesome, the destruction experienced preceding and subsequent to that vista not so much

Irma. I fart in her general direction.

Yeah, but the taunt the second time around will be named Jose...

Ed

Jose Canusee? Non-starter.........

drain the islands of humanity. convert the said islands to natural resources, such as forests, wildlands, beaches, and nature preserves? have we waited too long to accomplish such beneficial goals? abandoning islands that are no longer safe for human habitation is not a heresy of some kind, type, sort or another is it?

Good. That'll push her back out in the Atlantic.

That would make them immigrants looking for a new home, probably New York.

maybe, even likely? moving humans off the islands, and converting the said islands to natural areas is not something that has been spoken about outside some closed circles for some time. but, w/massive hurricanes that might be threatening the mainlands, then perhaps it'd be good to talk about possibilities?

easily, for the next decade or so, everything might be pretty much status quo? that is, if the sun doesn't reverberate with a lot of "sunspots" then we humans down here on the earth are pretty much free to commute to work, pay taxes, and enjoy life?

I have an order of fingerlings that was supposed to go there today. Unreal.

The Dutch half of the island seems to have fared a bit better. Perhaps their affinity for brick and concrete finally paid off.

As soon as the westward shift became clear we knew what we had to do and bugged out at 10 PM yesterday. Drove north until 1 PM today. Traffic was heavy but moved. We were very lucky to find some gas in northern Florida on the way up. Seemed like every car on the road had Florida Tags. I-95 traffic finally thinned out north of the I-26 exit.

We are now praying for those who stayed behind and hoping we have something to go back to.

There isn't a place in the world that isn't subject to: hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, wild fires, plagues, ice ages, etc., etc., and if those don't get you there's probably a gun or knife toting gang banger, terrorist, or madman to do you in.

Hopefully, you didn't get off on 26. That's the ultimate interstate from hell!!

Now it's through the Keys and landing on the peninsula around Naples? Sweet Jesus

jesus might choose to save you, if you're worthy? if not, kiss your good arse good bye. and so mote it be.

That's where it's tracking, the eye is ~1/3 of the up the N shore of Cuba.

If it would cross onto Cuba's mainland, the mountains and dry air would steal much of it's power before it hit Florida,,,not good for Cuba, but much better for our citizens.

but if you DO need to leave your place, call me Dan. I have room here in Gainesville

What am I missing here? Pretty sure there some sarcasm in there. Or maybe we are talking projected models here?

Long week and I'm whipped. Might be a very early bedtime tonight!!

I believe The FOX News reporter Steve Herrigan on the ground just summed it up best. 5.6M Floridians have been asked to leave their homes with 2 only routes out. And the unknown has been the challenge. Granted the smart got out early but many remained to assist with the needs of others.

With the shortage of fuel and shelter up the road versus knowing what's coming remaining folks are scared to stay and equally scared to leave. What a dilemma to be faced with.

I don't get sarcasm at all. Every degree west it moves before turning due North and making landfall means more land subject to the NE quadrant, which is the most destructive.

Ed

If the track holds true, the eye will pass over my house! After the storm, I'll let you guys know how things went....whenever FPL gets the power turned back on. lol

Think I misunderstood as I thought what Scott was providing was a realtime update and I wondered WTH I had been.

Guessing now he may have been referring to projected models.

My town just sent me (text, cell, and house phone) a notice that there's a voluntary evacuation order for my area. It's only mandatory, however, for low lying areas and for those who live in trailer homes and the like. My concrete block house is right on the top of a hill, so flooding shouldn't be an issue. Only risk is wind damage. Hoping the eye misses me by a good bit.

Exactly. The way it's going now, I'm getting that quadrant. Fortunately, though, I'm up north enough that it's projected to be only a cat one hurricane by the time it gets here. Bad enough, though, if I get the worst quadrant or, worse, the eye.

Knowing the fuel, traffic, and accommodations situation....if they told you to leave right now would you?

The waiting has to be the worst part. Especially, if they do come through last minute and declare evac!! I guess there's always the shelters.

New track shows the eye passing over my place Sunday. This thing is going to be a two day event according to our local forcasters.

Prayers sent to all of you guys in Florida

\Stay safe.

my guess, and wrong, was that it would turn north prior to it's travel so far westerly. it was a good guess, but didn't work out. right now, it's headed north soon enough, and that'll cause a ton of old trees in atlanta to likely fall into the power lines, or worse.

Yeah for sure. I have never been in this situation so I cannot even imagine.

Godspeed!

The major shelter here is only about three miles away. It's a big archery center, where Olympic hopefuls train. It's a huge facility. My house would have to be destroyed before I'd go there, and maybe not even then.

Yeah, pretty sure I would stay home versus a shelter. Getting in the car and heading out late is a whole other decision making process. Especially, with the fuel and accommodations unknown.

One thing I would be is better prepared than the next guy. Always!! Even if I have to leave on my own. Heck I would have developed my plan well over a week ago.

Thanks, appreciate that offer Sam, will get in touch if we get the itch to move.

I'm tickled to death that half our Yankees have gone north. The other half left in June or thereabouts.

I notice that some men have no pride. I hope it is not contagious.

Talked to my brother in Ft Myers tonight. What with the slow crawl on I-75, he couldn't make it out of Florida without running out of gas. And even gas stations in Destin and Ft Walton Beach were out of gas yesterday.....

My wife's Father is in Fort Myers, he said "we're expecting a little wind, and a fair amount of rain...we're going to ride it out, I don't want to leave because of the 3 cats"

The eye has shifted west, it's supposed to center punch Fort Myers and Naples...What a dumb fugg

Yep. Even up here in northern Florida, yesterday I had to drive a half hour before I found a gas station with any gas, and had to wait on a long line to get to a pump. Tempers were flaring, too. Folks trying to cut into lines, and stuff. Terrible how people get in these situations.

Will this be the end of the Key deer?

Wasn't aware the majority of them are at the far tip of the keys. Supposedly only a few hundred left.

Exactly, my point. And just now FOX reported several hotels in Daytona are telling their guests they must leave by 11AM for parts unknown. Given the fuel and unavailable accommodations further up the road these folks have to be freaking out.

Figure if this were me I would drive as far North as I could and just park at a 7-11 or Walmart parking lot. Hopefully, far enough out of harms way to be protected. From there I would likely never go back to FL.

Stressful situations always show a persons "True Colors".

Yes Sir....they certainly do!!

my gmc has a 500 mile range when full, could always fill up the 14, 5 gal. gas jugs from our farm tank and if felt like it could fill up a 55 gal drum or the auxillary 28 gal. boat fuel tank and put them in the back. Freeze dried, water jugs, tents, bags, pads, stoves and a lil hardware.

Where ya wanna go momma?

Yup that's me Randy. I also have a 7x14 duel tandem trailer that's usually stocked to the max and would carry me and other family members for a good 3 months.

As stated earlier, a 7-11, WalMart parking lot or campground is about all I need. But for many all they have is what they can carry to the car in one trip with no clue as to where they're headed.

I ain't convinced it's still not going to nudge a few more ticks west, I wouldn't put off the panhandle as being the mainland hit.

Especially, if it does actually get caught up in the Cuban terrain.

T LEE: Wishing you safety and good luck.
Stay strong.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

The state and county emrg mgmt folks down need to be hung. They panicked and made decisions based on what if rather than what is and gridlocked the state highways and left us without fuel or food by and large. Phuocin' idiots all. It all started with our governor declaring a statewide emergency. No way in hell any storm will impact the state like that. Maroon...

There are ways and means to handle this crap, none of which have been utilized. My hat is off to the folks in Houston for how they handled Harvey.

Has anyone posted this one yet?

Damn right, shoot all looters

Wonder if the domes by Marco island will make it. Going to be a hell of a mess.

Have a couple friends that have lived on St John for the last 10 years and last I heard they were wondering if their friends, house and dog are still existing. They boogied to Colorado before the storm and had to leave the pup with friends there.

Hope you folks down there are getting out.

You know who that is?

....my gmc has a 500 mile range when full, could always fill up the 14, 5 gal. gas jugs from our farm tank and if felt like it could fill up a 55 gal drum or the auxillary 28 gal. boat fuel tank and put them in the back. Freeze dried, water jugs, tents, bags, pads, stoves and a lil hardware......

Do this and become a travelling incinerator!

Jim

I'm afraid I don't TRH, should I ?

yes

The W's son and daughter in law had the brains to get out of West Palm Beach, and headed north to Orlando. But brains departed at that point and they decided to wait it out there instead of heading further north as originally planned. Looks like they may miss the worst of it now, but if that changes, it's too late to leave now.

Have two guys from work who went to St John, Virgin Islands for vacation with their families. By the time they realized what was happening, they couldn't get off the island. Talked to one of them on Tuesday. Haven't heard from them since. Likely fine, and comm's are the issue, but man, I bet they had a hell of a ride. And it's not over yet. Jose up next. Don't expect to see them at work for a while.

He is the gentleman you have quoted in your signature line.

Weather channel guys seem a little said that it's missing Miami.

I swear to God you'd have to be 1/2 a retard to need the 'info' that WC and the government passes to people.

Are you still in the area Terry, or have you vacated?

Maybe you haven't been here long enough to know that's a picture of Terry, i.e., TLee.

One huge error was not making the Turnpike and I-75 North Bound Only. Reversing the South Bound lanes would have eliminated all of the congestion. Government is damned if they don't call for evac, and damned if they do. The source of most bad things happening is the stupidity of individual people.

Can you spell irony ?

I bit more to the west and this thing could get out in the Gulf

Wouldn't that be nice.

A couple of days ago, they were predicting it would be cat one by the time it got to me in north-central Florida. Now they're saying cat three, because instead of cutting up the middle (slowing it down the whole way up), it's skirting the west coast, maintaining its force over warm water as it approaches my area. A more radical shift out west would be much appreciated.

Just remember,the stronger wetter side is north and east of the eye.

It looks like landfall will be Naples/Fort Myers area, but the damnn thing is 150 miles wide....bad either way.

I am not a hurricane magnet, I don't think.......

Dad has a condo in Bonita Springs..........(maybe it'll be "had")

Bad, sure, but the winds around the eye are the real killer. If the eye stays off shore, that will forestall much of the wind damage.

Gov-Scott said it's close to the Keys w/6-12"surge.

I posted last night, my wife's Dad is in Fort Meyers very close to the shore,,,,he's staying with 3 cats in a little Cracker Jack house, "just a little wind and some rain" he says.

If I were closer I'd run over and get the cats.

PS: He'd better not risk 1 single emergency responders life, when it hits the fan and he starts chiitting his pants...he had plenty of time to evacuate.

Terry if you need to crash in eastern iowa pm me I am out until Sunday night but the wife is home

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weat...ve-blow-to-florida-this-weekend/70002657

[/quote] MAGA

Thanks but never make it out of the state at this point.

I have a cousin and his wife who just retired to a new home in Naples. They have evacuated to southern Georgia but he texted me that they are almost expecting to lose it all considering the projected path.

Did you get way north?

Terry,

prayers for you and wife's safety..... I've also got someone I love a great deal
who lives in Cape Coral...I'm worried about her and her family also...

may the Good Lord watch over all of Florida and protect everyone..

especially you and any of our campfire members.

Good chance the way it is moving.

Nope, 7 miles further south.

Thank you Sir. Looks like the full monty is gonna roll over us.

I don't wish a hurricane on anybody, but the best thing this storm can do is go straight up Florida and die before.it hits the hot Gulf and gets really bad.

Sadly you are right Pat.

I don't see any best thing for Irma, it's going to F up anything in its way until it peters out. Whether that's Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia and or Texas.

It would slow down faster that way, for sure, but it looks like it will skirt the western coast of Florida, maintaining power all the way up, as it devastates the coast, then slam into the panhandle at high power.

That would be the western coast.

Too large and strong to play with.

And likely to get a lot worse if it does. Right now, it's not that bad of a storm...125mph with a 15' surge AT THE EYE WALL. Don't get me wrong, that's a bad deal for somebody, but it can get a lot stronger quickly if it gets a chance to build in warm, shallow water. You always gotta remember, the weather media is just as bad as any other...it's all about the ratings, and the more people they can scare the better.

It's a Cat 3 now, but they're saying it will go Cat 4 in the Straights...water temps are 91 deg F, it will recharge and come harder.....be safe all, if you can run-do so now !

God Bless all in her path

Yep. That was a slip.

Has the SOB even started to make a turn north?

If you told me landfall was to be in Panama City Monday night at a CAT 5, I'd believe it.

If any part of it is on land, it will continue to weaken even further. That's the good news of the current track. Fingers crossed.

Yeah, staying on Cuba good. Fcuk them communist bastards.

They are still saying Naples/Fort Myer landfall...it's traveling 9 mph right now, slowed down but will gain steam and power over Straights.

458,
That's never going to happen. People want to live by and enjoy the water. Take a look at the HWM (high water mark) pics for Mississippi after Katrina. There's one of a researcher holding a grade stick next to a tree to determine Katrina's HWM. It's 30' high! There is no preparation on earth that can prepare you for that. Disallowing building below "possible" HWM would never happen. Darn near the entire state would have to be moved into Georgia or elsewhere.

Most of Florida is flatlands, with marshland, hardwood hammock, and mangrove estuaries making up the rest.

I now live the farthest from the beach I have in the last 50 years, 9 miles. About 5 mins from the Glades.

Lotta bangin and haulin the last 3-4 days. Some people still working together. Got plenty of good exercise. Hands are toughened back up with the usual knicks and gouges from this kind of stuff.

Now it's just a waiting game. Say a prayer for T LEE and the rest of the folks on the west coast of FL. They could use it right about now. Most of my family and lots of old friends there. So, I'm of course concerned about them.

Uhh. You just did.

Now go wash your mouth out with an Old Milwaukee.

Dude!

Nobody deserves that!

Monday morning, we will be seeing a cat 2 hurricane on top of Cedar Key. The same conditions here in town. Same conditions over in St Augustine. Folks have no idea of how large this bitch is. Same storm, hurricane winds on both coasts, and all across the State.

The eye has been moving toward the west or 280 degrees at about 8kt. The hurricane is about the reach the southwestern portion of the subtropical high, and the expected turn to the northwest and north-northwest should begin soon. The track guidance is tightly packed and takes the hurricane over the Florida Keys and near or over the Florida Peninsula. The NHC forecast is in the middle of the guidance envelope and given the good agreement among models, the confidence in the track forecast is high. Irma is now under the scope of Key West radar, so hourly updates will begin at 1600 UTC.

I completely understand, if I was going to get land in the tropics I'd want it to be beachfront if I could afford it. I'm keep all in my prayers and am thankful my son got a flight out of Miami on Wednesday. I sadly have a feeling he won't be going back to school for the rest of this semester, and who knows beyond that.

458, where does you son go to school? UM?

Pretty mind boggling how big this bitch is (courtesy NASA)

Yup, he's a cane.

God bless Robert E and T Lee.

Few bands of rain and wind moving into Lee County right now. Blowing pretty good but nothing like it will be tomorow.

Part of one of those arms, just a few minutes ago, flew over my area. Suddenly, from a calm placid day, it became tropical storm-like, with gale force winds and showers. It only lasted a few minutes. It's back to being a placid, dry, day. Just a tiny taste of what's to come.

Does anybody know if the Gulf Gate area of Sarasota is under mandatory evacuation? I have a rental house there and haven't been able to reach the tenants. I hope they made it somewhere safe. As of yesterday they weren't being evacuated.

Getting the beginnings here as well.

Don't know if this is a common occurrence in all hurricanes having never been anywhere close to one myself, but if not, this Facebook video is very telling as to the power of Irma, to say the least.

"Long Island, Bahamas ! There is no more ocean ! As far as the eye can see . And they don't know where it went ! Wow .... Irma is more powerful than people think ! Be safe guys . 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Update: Long Island has the all clear .. The sea is gradually coming back! Praise God...."

https://www.facebook.com/kelly.johnson.184881/posts/10211816020014053

That's the opposite of storm surge. It's called storm suck..

Well I got a bunch of family in Ft. Meyers that finally evacuated this AM to Jacksonville. Good thing, as one aunt and uncle live in what's called a Class A area from what I understand- an area most at risk for storm surge. Their condo was built in '06 and is rated for this, but not the surge. My cousin and her wife (yeah, you read it right) are going to lose their house for sure. Built in the 60's.

I have a real bad feeling there's going to be a lot of deaths in SW Florida due to people not fully understanding how big the storm surge is going to be. Wind is one thing, but 15' of water surging miles inland in some places is just unbelievable.

Link to some pretty cool web cams!

http://heavy.com/news/2017/09/hurri...eb-cams-florida-miami-tampa-keys-videos/

Wondering how long the beer bottle makes it in this one from Hogs Breath. Cup too!


https://www.hogsbreath.com/keywest/index.php/hog-cam-bar-cam/

Weird. Suddenly, the little island has become a huge island, if only temporarily.

Oh ye of deep pockets.

I have a fishing buddy evacuating to my place right now. He lives five miles from the coast , maybe further but he is in a storm surge area. Im on the east side of I 75 so we are considered high ground. Shelter where his wife and kids are is full so he has no where to go. His wife works at the hospital so they are there. He said he has ice cream so I said come on out.

He went to local college for his first three semesters (which was nearly free with his scholarship) then transferred last spring. He's got a scholarship at UM, and mama's working full time to pay the rest.

The Hogs Breath Cam is barely hanging on but I remain impressed. And the lights came on!! Wondering of someone super glued the bottle to the bar.

I'd eat that ice cream tonight. How far south are you?

Good advice .I'm in Fort Myers about 20 miles south of T Lee.

I'm in Naples. We've been getting small rain bands throughout the afternoon and have a steady light rain as I type.

We are expecting it to get a lot worse as the night goes on.

Run!

Good luck down there Dixie.

Our place is in Lely, but we're up in PA through the end of hunting season. Good luck! The storm surge predictions are looking pretty nasty. Hang in there and please keep us updated as long as you have power.

The worst of the hurricane will be tomorrow. I'll keep you posted as long as I have power.

I have relatives on Sabal Palm Road and Golden Gate Boulevard. My grand babies are in San Carlos.

UM is an outstanding school. That's fantastic that he got a scholarship because out of state tuition is a ball buster. Lots do it, though. Those are the kids driving around in BMW's and Porsches. Saw a bunch of em down at Mannlicher's condo's valet station a couple weeks ago.

Had some heavy rain squalls run through here last couple hours. Just got a tornado warning over the cell phone. Thunder's driving the dogs crazy all over the neighborhood.

Keep your heads down over there, Dixie and Boarmaster.

Hilarious, Dan.

If it goes as predicted now, I'm in for a cat 2 Monday morning. Hopefully not the actual eye wall, though, which should stay near the coast as it rises up north of me, heading for a direct impact with the panhandle, then on up to Georgia as a cat 1. That northeastern quadrant, though, will likely hit me pretty hard.

Your're saying you are not going down there to check out your house for a month or so?

He walks to class. He did say there are some foreign students that drive really nice cars and live on campus on condos their parents bought them.

Until yesterday when they changed the track that was the plan. We have a neighbor watch our house when we are in PA but he has bugged out. He'll check it out when he gets home and I'll probably end up making a trip next weekend if travel is possible by then.

They're now saying Cat4 by the time it hits Tampa. My brother should be up here by that time. He said they opened up southbound 75 to make them all northbound this afternoon.
With the other two hurricanes out there to perhaps follow (Katia and Jose?), there might not be anything left to go back for...

10/4 on that. Luck on the house

No different than my son at A&M. He rides a bike whilst others drive new lifted Cummins Dodge's.

Jose hurricane is a non issue. Only Irma counts for Florida.

Pfffttt...


This thread is now about Texas A & M and getting to class on time.

We 'll know it was a bad storm when our members there aren't on the internet for about six months.

Never understood why people care what others drive.

When's she.gonna make that 90° turn?

The 11:00 NHC report is out. Winds are down to 105 and they don't sound as confident about the path. It is stalled off Cuba moving at only 5 mph. Now have it as a CAT 3 at landfall. They don't sound as confident in their prediction of re-strengthening either. They are sticking with their earlier predictions on timing but if you read the discussion there is a lot of hedging. Let's hope it continues to weaken.

Raining heavily right now at my place.

I still see at at 120mph (105 knots)

Hope all of you Florida boys and your families stay safe, and dry....

and the homestead survives undamaged....

Click on the link to the "discussion". The stuff in the graphics isn't the actual data. The forecasters discussion has the data from the flights into the storm.

When she gets just below SE Texas?

That's what I've been wondering(for the last 3 days).

"flights into the storm"

No s#it? What do you do for excitement if you have that job?

Sam, when they get this close, it's often the mountains of northern Cuba that force them north... Unless, of course, they've got a lot more power than your usual run of the mill hurricane.

Good night and good luck to you Florida guys. Hope you still have power in the morning.

Local, keep an eye out for that sonuvabitch!

For those who haven't seen widespread panic buying before. Pics are from a nearby Aldi. It'll be standing room only in the return lane on Monday.













[img]https://i.imgur.com/kAefxMd.jpg[/img]

All I needed.

And one lemon. TFF!

Yep. All I needed, brother. Was thinking maybe a little seafood pasta.

You live down here long enough, you learn to be prepared and provisioned for this kind of thing. Otherwise, you'll become one of the herd chasing what scarce commodities are available.

You should have seen Home Depot. Went there to see if I could get a few extra bolts for the tracks on my storm shutters. Didn't really need them, but thought it might be nice to have a few extras just in case.
The place looked like a bomb went off in the hardware aisle. Half of what was gone was probably stolen.

As a kid who spent my early life in southern Florida we always stock way up early and had all the pre made boarded window coverings marked and we rode out every storm, including the one that took large segment of A1A out about 75 yards into the ocean. We were one house and A1A off ocean front but had a high lot - we'd get surges running down the street more than once.

I would imagine too that a good many folks will be without the jobs they had prior to Irma for quite a while afterwards and some jobs will probably be gone permanently.

Also with electronic banking and direct deposit being the norm nowadays for payroll checks, private retirement pensions, SS benefits, etc., seems like keeping enough cash on hand to meet unforeseeable needs and/or emergencies over an extended period of time could be crucial to survival.

THanks. Not gonna reach some of us till Monday, though.

Seems like it's gonna parallel the coast for a bit, just like Cuba.

That's probably the worst case scenario, fiscally speaking.

The Weather Channel is worse than CNN. They actually seem excited that it could stay slightly offshore and keep its intensity for longer. Wouldn't want to lose a few hours of prime time ratings by having it peter out earlier. How about some useful information. Who has power, who doesn't. When can each city expect peak storm surge. How does that match up to high tide. If any of you guys down there are still online, give us something actually worth watching and walk down to the beach and knock one of these idiots out.

TWC is obscene.

Fox has better coverage

WX channel is populated with idiot rating whores. They are only a hair brighter than our governor.

Few miles north of Cudjoe Key and it's tracking north. Might not be the epic disaster they hoped for.

i have been following this on the weather channel, with the people in their little blue raincoats.
I have never been around a storm like this.
but i watch them, it looks like a lot of staged shots.
i saw a guy this morning, little blue rain coat, announcing in a parking lot, full of cars, couple of hotels right there. light rain falling, little wind. what? I am not sure where the truth lies. you don't evac half the state, something bad happens, and then you deal with the finger pointing.
then the storm hits, the 185mph winds are now 50mph winds, and you have to justify.
At one point it looks like the whole state lost power, then you see it didn't. still a lot of people without power.
Having said that, i have also seen the aftermath of some of those islands the storm hit. which is pretty bad. but that in turn is not central florida.

Switching channels. I wish I would have thought to ship a sat phone to my friends and family in Naples.

Winds are coming in pretty good now in Fort Myers maybe 45-50mph nonstop rain all morning but not yet what I would call heavy. About to get cranked up over the next 6 hours.

I prefer to watch the live streams on You Tube from folks who stayed behind and able to get where these media drama queens can't. One guy streamed the storm all morning from Marathon. It was pretty funny when his Mom phoned his store land line and called him a dork. She was watching his live stream.

That's another thing. TWC was reporting no power, no Internet, no nothing in all the Keys. But here's a guy (and others) filming everything with his store on route 1 fully lit up. He even praised FP&L.

Looked like a vicious storm in the Keys!!

Here's some video from Marathon Key that's several hours old.

Video

Link?

Hang in there, it looks like she's coming your way.

that right there is scary

Best to you Floridians.

Terry, don't get interviewed after.

Regards,

Josh

Weather channel sucks

At least it doesn't have a big surge..water is the killer. Wind is, for the most part, an expensive inconvenience. That is what effects most people though, so that's where the media focuses.

That's what it looks like when you get the surge. Imagine it at 25' instead of 6'. There is nothing damaged to repair...everything is gone. The surge is going to be on the portion of the storm coming on shore, in this case the bottom . If you're on the coast and riding it out, don't think it's over when the eye passes.

If I was a sneaky bastard and wanted to get something in the US of A via water, I think I'd be following the hurricane.

You can get away with just about anything immediately after a hurricane.

They must have lost power. It was part of these and streaming on You Tube but can't find it now. Guess they did not post yet.
Think it's the last one in this link that says live broadcast ended.

http://heavy.com/news/2017/09/hurri...eb-cams-florida-miami-tampa-keys-videos/

It looks like they are all down!

hmmm....most of them ran for me just now.

Some are recordings but several are live.

Maybe it's an iOS conflict, because I just get black boxes.

could be. I'm running Sierra 10.12.5 and they all stream. iMac.

Bummer....

Mannlicher can tell ya all about that.

Thieves not even waiting. They're looting already. Foot Locker store was getting cleaned out by the bros... but somebody was filming.

Sam, getting butt kicked down here. But, nowhere near what it could have been. Cleaned out my giant mahogany in the front yard pretty good.

Ron, there are over 1 million people without power in south FL. I just happen to be one of the lucky ones.. so far.

Lets make people panic and drive up TV advertising revenue at the same time. Weather Channel what a POS.

Port Charlotte is up on streaming right now, and it looks like Terry's lights are still on.

Josh

NEWS: The surge number forecast has gone way down, Naples was to get 10-15 feet,,,,now down to 5 feet. North the numbers will be lower than originally forecast, they just talked to the guy in the Hemingway museum...he said they had about 1 foot of water down in streets.

Great news for Florida residents, hang in there guys !

During the wide spread power outage due to a ice storm several years ago some folks somehow manged to still have electricity early on but wound up getting theirs shut off by the power companies when they started to work on restoring it for everyone.

We made it thru. Power stayed on until the last few minutes of the north eye wall passing.

I think Florida dodged a major bullet. My Brother lost power from Matthew last year for about 3 days, had his house wired for a generator and so far has not had to use it .

For the most part, this is going to end up just being a big PIA.

Got your swim fins and snorkel ready, Scott? Looks like Tuesday and Wednesday it'll be in your neck of the woods.

Ed

We 'll find out tomorrow if there was any big surge and real damage. Of course, there will be the normal traffic problems and pissed off people cause their lights will be out. Be ready for the flat tires...

Yeah, some of that.

But more importantly, it's September's sweep's week - ratings and media advertisers make out quite well.

This storm is a media wet dream (pun intended)...lots of people effected by it. Often a major storm will wipe out sparsely populated areas and go practically unnoticed. The shear number of people trying to move around after this one is going to be a problem.

You're actually right about that. No big deal, though. I've been lucky so far. Got my generator sitting in the house ready to go outside and be fired up if needed. Moved it inside in case I lost the garage. Everything's dialed in.

You live here long enough, you learn.. and know the drill. 49 years. Yeah. I know the drill.

Best Wishes and thoughts and prayers to my brothers up north of me now.

Irma blows

I just came across this article about the Hemingway house in Key West. If it's correct then those that stayed in the house made it and the house survived. It says the storm surge wasn't nearly as much as expected. Good news if it's true!

http://www.tmz.com/2017/09/10/hemingway-houses-cats-hurricane-irma-key-west/

Anyone need firewood?

Lol...I've got about four chords hanging in my front yard right now. Gotta wait for my truck to get un-flooded to work on it any further.

Apparently the Keys are just devastated. Governor Scott flew in with Rubio and was very visually upset when he described the Keys in his presser.

Said there was not a mobile home left standing and boats everywhere. All utilities destroyed and the islands facing a possible humanitarian crisis. The words war zone seemed appropriate.

Godspeed to those who stayed behind because many are reported missing.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/09/11/irma-s-trail-destruction-in-florida-keys-revealed.html

I was wondering how you made out down there. Sorry to hear about your truck, that's a shame. Especially when you need it to pull your boat. Is it totaled or can you dry it out?

No biggie...The front brake calipers locked up after sitting under water for three days. Engine and interior are fine. It sure slows life after a storm down, not having your truck. Of course, it nothing has been open for two weeks, so it makes things even slower. The worst thing is that my MIL got flooded out and is staying with us. I can't stand to be there, but I'm afraid she's gonna boil my dog or something if I'm not.

That is sweet music to my ears.

Hope to guys return to normal ASAP.

My power just came on. I did well during the outage as I was prepared for 5/6 days with not outside resources. I was out checking on clients buildings today that were close to my place and people are lined up blocks waitingnon gas. Still widespread power outages. Not much food on the shelves. Glad i was prepped up I cruised right through. Wasnt any party dealing with the heat and humidy but I wanted for nothing but AC. I set in the truck and cooled down for a while every few hours that really helped. I can tell those who didnt prep are in panic.

You hit the nail on the head. Not much structural damage here just trees and some flooding.

Do you deliver?