Stay Safe Fellow Floridians & East Coasters

[cigrmaster]

Mark glad to hear you are safe. The best screen guy in Sarasota is a guy named Monroe Miller. He is an Amish guy and as honest as it gets. I will be calling him myself but I only lost one panel so I will wait for the people who really need him go first.

I never lost power or internet. I did lose my home phone which is weird but I have my cell so no big deal. I am worried about my mom who is 88 and stayed in her home which is right across the street from Robins Bay on the island of Venice. She lost power but she has a whole house generator with a big underground propane tank. As soon as she lost power, the generator turned on. If we can't get it refilled soon she will have to come stay with me as she needs electricity for her oxygen machine. Knowing my mom her tank will be one of the first to be refilled when the time is right.

My home is rated for a category 5 hurricane and that is without my hurricane shutters. I put the shutters up on the second floor but didn't bother with the first.

My place is not made from block contraction, it is poured concrete with rebar and is made in big sections that are put together somehow that make them strong.

 

[jlopez]

Prayers and hoping for the best for all affected.

 

[AJL67]

Here in central N.C., we aren't in the cone on the NOAA maps, but we are predicted to get five days of rain and are already hearing the wind howl above the trees and feeling distinctly cooler temperatures, only to illustrate the size of this storm which is centered about 800 miles from here. Saturday will be the rainiest backwash by current projections.

I phoned my cousin and family outside Ft. Myers in Lee County, and the line is busy, so they are in touch with others. I'll call until I get them and don't expect to talk long, with all they are contending with.

A of cell towers are down, they are currently putting up over 100 mobile towers.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

The thing I hate about hurricanes, as opposed to tornadoes and such, is that they are sooooooooo sloooooowwwww... We know they are coming a week ahead, and they seem to take a few days to pass. It is like getting run over by a very slow riding lawn mower, as opposed to being hit by a motorcycle that comes out of nowhere.

 

[bullet08]

Here in central N.C., we aren't in the cone on the NOAA maps, but we are predicted to get five days of rain and are already hearing the wind howl above the trees and feeling distinctly cooler temperatures, only to illustrate the size of this storm which is centered about 800 miles from here. Saturday will be the rainiest backwash by current projections.

I phoned my cousin and family outside Ft. Myers in Lee County, and the line is busy, so they are in touch with others. I'll call until I get them and don't expect to talk long, with all they are contending with.

My kids are in the way for that storm. First time for them with this type of weather away from home. Told them to get water, and foods that doesn't need cooking. And have a storm party Older one just turned 21. I'm sure he's getting beer.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I’m back at our house now and can’t find a single thing damaged. The pool cage is even unscathed. Power is still out but it is a beautiful day. I took down the plywood we put up to protect the windows in the man cave. The windows are all open and I’m sitting here really enjoying a bowl of Hamborger Veermaster. we’re blessed to be so fortunate, sadly, there were many lives lost and massive destruction across the state. May the good Lord bless all those who are hurting right now.

 

[fireground_piper]

Great to see many members getting out of it relatively clean so far.

 

[mso489]

If you get by without damage, it is so good, even if there is some guilt. As Winston Churchill supposedly said, "Nothing is so satisfying as being shot at ... and missed."

 

[AJL67]

Tropical storm winds and some rain beachside.

The water closest to you in this pic of the banana river is actually or should be land.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

If you get by without damage, it is so good, even if there is some guilt. As Winston Churchill supposedly said, "Nothing is so satisfying as being shot at ... and missed."

What would I possibly feel guilty about? My good fortune had zero to do with those who suffered from the storm. It wasn’t a zero sum game.

 

[admin]

Put up the hurricane shutters on the new house and bailed from St. Petersburg to Orlando to a dog-friendly resort in Orlando on Tuesday afternoon. What is usually a 1.5 hour drive took 4 hours, 15 minutes.

The Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld has been quite prepared. They had staff, food, drink, and handed out flashlights that we never needed. It has been quite stormy, but we never lost power. Some of the on/off ramps on I4 are flooded out, but we should be good to depart for home on Friday morning.

My house in St. Petersburg lost power at 12 noon on Wednesday, and still does not have it as I type.

Everything looks good for my Sunday departure to London. Hopefully the house held up good, and I can get to it without it having a mote around it from nearby flooding of Lake Maggiore.

 

[That Guy]

Powers back on now! Drove around town earlier and saw little to no damages. Thank God! Now to get rid of this sleep deprived hangover feeling and get ready for work tomorrow lol.

 

[mso489]

Of course, guilt is pretty hypothetical. If you don't get hit, good. However, as I keep praying the "cone" on the NOAA map away from my location, I can't help but know that that means someone else is getting the brunt. Apparently the heaviest rains will hit Western North Carolina. If you have ever seen heavy rain in the mountains, you know that is a tough prospect, looks like white water rapids galloping down the nearby rocks. Even when I wish it away to seaward, I think about those sailors riding out the storms at sea -- I've done that and know what it's like.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Of course, guilt is pretty hypothetical. If you don't get hit, good. However, as I keep praying the "cone" on the NOAA map away from my location, I can't help but know that that means someone else is getting the brunt. Apparently the heaviest rains will hit Western North Carolina. If you have ever seen heavy rain in the mountains, you know that is a tough prospect, looks like white water rapids galloping down the nearby rocks. Even when I wish it away to seaward, I think about those sailors riding out the storms at sea -- I've done that and know what it's like.

I hope you don’t become so overwhelmed that you do something silly then. If you pray for it to miss you and you’re not praying for it to hit elsewhere, I don’t comprehend the feelings. But there’s no explaining feelings.

I prayed for the storm to divert out into the gulf and spare everyone. I prayed to keep my family, friends and fellow Floridians all safe. Obviously, my prayers weren’t fully answered but I certainly have no feelings of guilt whatsoever.

 

[mso489]

I had a family member who got very angry when guilt entered the conversation. Maybe guilt is best regarded as a little warning light on the dashboard, more as an adjunct to empathy rather than an obsessive self-abnegation. Something like that. I don't think Churchill went about feeling guilty that he hadn't been shot. To the contrary. I accept every blessing with gratitude.

 

[AJL67]

I had a family member who got very angry when guilt entered the conversation. Maybe guilt is best regarded as a little warning light on the dashboard, more as an adjunct to empathy rather than an obsessive self-abnegation. Something like that. I don't think Churchill went about feeling guilty that he hadn't been shot. To the contrary. I accept every blessing with gratitude.

If you win powerball and feel guilty I’m more than happy to help alleviate your guilt.

 

[AJL67]

Don’t forget this. Florida steps it up a notch.

 

[cigrmaster]

I just spoke with my mom and she is fine. Her generator is still cranking and when I asked her if there were a gauge saying how much propane is left, she said she had no idea, she said her boyfriend should know. She has not been considered

Robins bay which is just across the street from my mom didn't even flood the street. She said it looked as it always does. Her house was built in 1998 buy a builder who used 2 by 6 constructions and turned it into a fortress, The stone fireplace that runs through the house is a site to see. She still has no power but she lives on the most expensive street on Venice Island and they usually get taken care of first.

 

[mso489]

I keep trying my cousin and family by phone, but I understand from news reports that the phone service in Lee County, where Ft. Myers is located, is generally out of service. i've also sent an email, but my cousin isn't much on email, so that hasn't worked. They are experienced with storms and well prepared with hurricane shutters and a generator, so I'm hopeful. The one variable is that they live on a river that may have caught the storm surge, so there could be exaggerated flooding. They have a young dog who is high strung, so I'm hoping it is spirited and not terrified. Hoping for no visiting alligators, of which they have some.

I feel for the family if they think they are being neglected, but I think they know the score. Lay low and take it slow, would be my advice to anyone in the aftermath.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

USPS is out delivering! Power still out but groceries, restaurants and gas stations are opening. People are out cleaning up debris, returning things to normal. Weird but the thing I miss most about no power is ice.