living in and visiting fla after hurricanes andrew ,wilma and katrina this would be my advice . board up the house and get your family out of dodge if it continues to aim close to you . i wasn't living in fla when andrew hit but it was supposed to hit my mom's area luckily for here it shifted course a few miles offshore and destroyed homestead fla.instead . total devestation is a mild term . when wilma hit here i was in hilton head sc. my wife and i had followeed the news which said we had nothing to worry about so i left for hilton head to attend a class and then was going to stop in jacksonville fla for about a weeks worth of work. i left home on friday cause it looked like we were in the clear. sat my wife got a little nervous and dropped the shutters. sunday she put up the hurricane panels over the back door.monday morning she called me about 9 am ,said she and the 2 kids were in the hall closet and she could hear the roof ripping off. i left the class and headed home . from west palm beach(lake ockeechobee- )down past my house there was no electric . trees toppled over most roads no electric for the gas stations to pump gas etc. in the daylight i could see about 60% of my roof was gone . at a local shopping center they were giving out blue tarps to patch the roof so we got one ,i nailed it down to protect my house , helped the neighbors remove sheds and trees that flew over houses and were blocking their way then we went up to orlando for a week .tho you may think they are crying wolf err on the side of safety if you have a family to protect. a matter of a few hours can make a huge difference
Snoot, if I were in your situation I'd be moving the important stuff. All you need is for those darned forecasters to be right for a change and then you have to deal with replacing what you have lost. Whatever you do, all the very best of luck, and please keep us posted. You are in our thoughts and prayers down there.
I remember the huricane of 1938, so all that I can say is "get the heck out of there"..... I remember that one like it was yesterday..
wow...how old are you ? the 1935 labor day hurricane is still the worst to ever hit the usa. 205mph wind and then the equipment broke.
good luck i am thankfull that the uk dont suffer storms like this, hope all gos well for you, family and wagon
Not Off-Topic at all! Snooter, we ARE friends here, and this is one Irene who's got her knickers in knots, nasty ones! Be a good sport, and get the puck out of her way! I've been to Brigantine Island in New Jersey in July, 1968, and I recall how powerful the normal waves are there. Here, they're reporting how you guys could have 17 foot surges! How many lines would keep your SeaRay in place? http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ties-resorts-on-us-east-coast/article2142908/ Here's the US Weather Channel's Hurricane Tracker. She's more than a storm in a Teapot! http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker Be safe!
Thanks for all the good wishes, everybody. I'm still on the island and it is eerily quiet. They have the mandatory evacuation order in place and it looks 99% of the people heeded it as there's absolutely no cars going up and down the boulevard and no people whatsoever. Eventhough I've seen it fairly empty in the Wintertime, this is even more so. It's just now started to drizzle and a gentle breeze has come up. The ocean doesn't look any more ferocious than normal yet and it definitely feels like it's the calm before the storm. I was able to get the marina to put the boat on dry ground, so I feel good about that. All the beach toys, outside furniture and barbecue are now in the house so they can't blow away. Last night, they shut down Rte 72, the only highway in, eastbound and the lanes on the causeway bridge are also blocked off. (The westbound lanes off the island are, of course, still open.) Not sure if or when I'll leave. Apparently, it's down to a category one already and it hasn't even hit land. I'm starting to think it's just going to be a nastier than normal rain storm.
I sure hope you are right, snoot, but I still think you need to get out of there. You've done what you can to secure everything, so head out. It's all just stuff. It's wonderful stuff, and it's your stuff, but it is all just stuff. All replaceable...you are not! Be safe! We are all thinking of you, David