quote:

Originally posted by Ackks:
It doesn't look good for Sanibel and Captiva with the new track. I'm guessing Captiva is going to split again.

The new, new track doesn't look good for any of the heavily populated areas of SWFL. Looks like it hugs the coastline from Marco Island until it heads inland at Tampa/St Pete. That big, black, S, Tue 2am, dot is were we are at the moment. We'll probably leave tomorrow instead of Monday. Hopefully the campground in Mobile can accommodate us one night early.

My elderly parents in a retirement complex called Shell Point in Fort Myers are unable to evacuate. They are hunkered down in a group executing a predetermined disaster plan, in the strongest building. I feel helpless. I am also on the way to England for business. Dear God, spare them all. In Christ's name, Amen.

If snakes bother you Florida won't be a good place to be for a while. All the high water will drive them from their normal haunts and you can't tell were they will end up. Also fire sings will be floating in rafts and will be moved all over the place. And who knows how this will work with all the sinkhole areas in Florida. After this storm Florida will have a lot of problems to work out.

I live in SW. Fl, in Cape Coral, and thats right where its coming, and honestly this storm locals have taken far more seriously than others in the 26 years Ive lived here. I tried to send my wife with major heart problems north on Wednesday when my daughter who is a teacher got out of work only to hear from friends in Tampa,and north that there was a major gas shortage so they are here instead of what was a very congested highway system. I have been through several major storms and this is one I did Not want to go through, but because of my job ( working for a Church so its more than a job for me) I have to stay. I stocked up on my supplies on June 1st, and my house has hurricane windows and doors, all I can do now is pray and hope that I will be back on the forum after this is over and we have power. God bless all of you in the path.
Gunnitt

Florida's Governor says they have 200 shelters open. Assuming each shelter could hold 1000 people, that's a very small percentage of the population. The governor keeps pledging with people to go to a shelter. Can he count? Or are people just not going?

Continuing to pray for supernatural protection from God for all of those in the path of Irma.

Yes, standby for snakes & gators to be spread into unusual areas. Maybe load that revolver with snake shot and hardcast.

Wasn't hurricane Andrew responsible for releasing all the Burmese Pythons into the Everglades?

A breading facility was destroyed and the pythons escaped.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimineer:
Florida's Governor says they have 200 shelters open. Assuming each shelter could hold 1000 people, that's a very small percentage of the population. The governor keeps pledging with people to go to a shelter. Can he count? Or are people just not going?

Watching a local news report yesterday afternoon, Robert Morgan VoTech was being opened (previously unscheduled) as a shelter and before they were set up had 700 people in a line outside the gate.

Wow. All the forecasts for an east coast hit moved everybody west. I-75 was logjammed. It would be smart now to wiggle over to I-95 I bet.

I drive to Naples and Ft.Myers several times a week from Broward. I travel alligator Alley, Tamiami Trail,
and SR 864 and I always see dozens of gators along the way. This week, I saw zero in 3 trips. Kind of odd.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
Yes, standby for snakes & gators to be spread into unusual areas. Maybe load that revolver with snake shot and hardcast.

NOAA track from 8am EDT this morning



M symbol means sustained winds > 110 mph

quote:

Originally posted by Ironmike57:
I drive to Naples and Ft.Myers several times a week from Broward. I travel alligator Alley, Tamiami Trail,
and SR 864 and I always see dozens of gators along the way. This week, I saw zero in 3 trips. Kind of odd.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
Yes, standby for snakes & gators to be spread into unusual areas. Maybe load that revolver with snake shot and hardcast.

They haven't survived millions of years by just luck. . They'll be here when we are all long gone.

quote:

Originally posted by soflaac:

quote:

Originally posted by Jimineer:
Florida's Governor says they have 200 shelters open. Assuming each shelter could hold 1000 people, that's a very small percentage of the population. The governor keeps pledging with people to go to a shelter. Can he count? Or are people just not going?

Watching a local news report yesterday afternoon, Robert Morgan VoTech was being opened (previously unscheduled) as a shelter and before they were set up had 700 people in a line outside the gate.

Hopefully they will be able to accommodate everyone then. I never trust a government run operation.

Just looked up the Ft. Myers mandatory evacuation map. My grandmothers house in about two blocks off the mandatory area. So happy she is up here in Maryland with family.

She's been through a few storms and I have gone done and made repairs after one but this one is going to be different.

Prayers for thoughs still in the area.

I just saw a report from a young American woman stranded with 15 others on St. Maarten.

The island is flattened, looters raided a police station on the French side taking guns and ammo. There is little power, few safe standing buildings, debris everywhere, and Jose, a cat 4 hurricane is headed their way.

As for Irma, it's going right through the keys as a strong cat 3 or weak cat 4, and then heading up the west coast. The average track has it staying just offshore until about Ft. Meyers, and the just onshore through Tampa. One area in particular seems to be a worry-lots of poor migrant agricultural workers in the area who don't have the resources to evacuate themselves.

It looks like the great evacuation in the east will be decried as "Chicken Little" rather than the good idea it was.

To our Floridian friends, I truly wish I was there (riding out a major hurricane is a bucket list item). I pray you and yours stay safe and are left with tales of remarkable things like flying gators and generous people.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

Screw all that. The very best thing I ever spent money on was impact windows. My electric bill went down, my house is super quiet, can hardly hear the lawn man cutting my grass, they're very secure against break ins, and my total prep time of getting my house hurricane ready 10 minutes total.

Not all of us can afford such an expense. Some of us spend money on quality firearms. Windows never offered me much in the way of enjoyment. I guess some folks are different. BTW the tape does little to stop flying glass shards.

I bought my house in November 2013. My homeowners insurance (about 1 mile West of the Ocean) was $6800 a year. I put impact windows in a month after I bought it and the insurance came down to $2600 a year......they cost $13k. They have already paid for themselves in insurance savings,and continue to save money on insurance for years after that and let me tell you.....the quietness it has made my house, was worth it alone.....not to mention the safety factor from break ins.

Some people can't afford it, a lot of people can but don't want to afford it, but really it pays to do it just in insurance savings......I enjoy making my house nicer since I spend 1/2 of my life in it. A lot of people on the other hand can't stand spending a dime on her house. I have tons of yachts I'm securing for my business making big money doing so, not wasting my time spending a day putting up shutters and making no money. Plus if I'm out of town on a trip, the house will still be fine if I do nothing, one phone call to a friend to bring in the grills and patio furniture and done.

On another not, it looks really bad for SW Florida and the keys, BUT, I think it will continue to shift west and may hopefully pass SW Florida well offshore (hopefully).

No, a lot of wildlife got loose in Andrew, but the Pythons didn't start appearing in numbers until about 10 years ago.

Praying for everyone & their families stay safe.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
I just saw a report from a young American woman stranded with 15 others on St. Maarten.

The island is flattened, looters raided a police station on the French side taking guns and ammo. There is little power, few safe standing buildings, debris everywhere, and Jose, a cat 4 hurricane is headed their way.

The military was going to try and get a C-130 in to evacuate the American's but I understand because of damage to the runway it didn't happen. Any US citizen should register with the consulate so when a rescue operation does happen they who is on the island.

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:
Good news - some of the folks unconcerned with this are still in the keys, riding out to the Southern Most Point and taking selfies and such.... That shot should get interesting in a day!

Key West cam

Well, that camera is offline. Hope the chicken is wingin' it ok.

However there are a couple folks on beach at Windjammer, and a dude flying a kite....

Breezy here.....