Irma Doesn't Look Good

[Eli]

One Hail Mary is that Naples is very seasonal city and this time of the year is sparse with snow birds many of whom are retirees. They flock down during the winter season by the thousands so their absense makes the evacuation a tad better. Otherwise, how much worse could it be than what just happened in Houston? What I think is that people are going to re think moving to Florida.

What is your plan? Do you think you will have to worry about water? What is your plan? I know I may sound nerdy but I am being sincere.

 

[Evincere]

What is your plan? Do you think you will have to worry about water? What is your plan? I know I may sound nerdy but I am being sincere.

My plan is to move to that area next month. I "visit" the water but know better than to live along side it or within reach of its wrath. One only does that when they have become complacent, have no respect or healthy fear for what water (nature) can do.

Many thousands moved out of Florida after Andrew and never returned having experienced that monster. Newbies moved in and after this godzilla is done Fls populations should once again reach homeostasis. That's what Hurricanes do. A storm of this magnitude and ferocity has been long overdue. There's plenty of beautiful, more sheltered, more wide open spaces in the rest of the USA to find one's paradise.

 

[Eli]

I am not looking that far ahead. Godspeed Evincere and FL.

I'm paranoid. Get on the roof if you have to.

8 tornado warnings just announced. Not tornado watches but warnings.

 

[Tim The Enchanter]

I am not looking that far ahead. Godspeed Evincere and FL.

I'm paranoid. Get on the roof if you have to.

8 tornado warnings just announced. Not tornado watches but warnings.

Stay off the roof for tornadoes, Toto.

 

[Meandering]

Somebody look for Tom Woolford.

His last post was very sad.

 

[Eli]

119 mph winds key largo. The roof won't be there to get on.

 

[Tim The Enchanter]

The waiting and dreading can't be fun. Will this help?

 

[bnmappraisal]

I have limited comms as I am just beat and exhausted, but wanted to update

We successfully made it out of St Petersburg. Thursday we made it to Savannah, GA (helluva trip with traffic - a lot of stop n go) Also, the gas "stories" are real. Many places either had NO gas or the lines were long. Personally we lucked out and played it safe, looking for gas around the 1/2 tank mark, so were able to bypass any long line stations, etc, but saw many "plastic bags" over what should be fully operational pumps.

Fri headed out, and after a VERY LONG story of hours of phone calls, headed toward Gatlinburg, TN. Finally arriving around 11pm

Per our rental car's drive timer - approximately 18 hrs (over 2 days) later ... we find ourselves in TN riding it out

I have to be honest, it's all surreal in a sense. Literally picking up the family on a "moments notice" and jumping in the car just "heading away" from the storm, the traffic, trying to find places to stay (that was ALL due to my wife, BTW) to wait out this impending SOB storm, NOT knowing when to head back ... it's kind of crazy

Side note: Kids school was cxld for last Thur and Fri, and found out it's also cxld for Mon and Tue (9/11 & 9/12) Their school is at the beach and last I heard the storm surge was supposed to be at least 3-5 ft, so I wouldn't be surprised if they cancel more days.

All the best for everyone in this thing's path. It's a true B***h.

 

[Eli]

Irma is like the worst storm on radar I have ever seen. The eye looks like it is fixin to hit Key West directly. It's headed to Graceland too. Elvis won't like that!

It needs to move east and get on land and weaken.

As long as that eye stays in the gulf, it will hold steam.

 

[KHS445]

My partner has a home on Cudjoe Key which is about mile post 20 in the Keys. On Friday when the storm looked like to was going to head up the east coast of Florida we decided with the counter clockwise spin the worst he would see is some wind and rain, with most of the storm surge hitting the north side of the Key and being calmed some before getting to his location on the very south side of the Key. Now with the shift to the west it is looking like his home, which is directly on the water, will probably be very near the eye and will probably take a direct hit from any storm surge. The home was built in 2004 and sits about 10' above the ground and included all of the required hurricane tie downs and shutters. Typically they head down in November, will have to wait and see what is left this year.