Hurricane Irma - SE Florida, Carribean Islands, Carolinas, _possible Gulf Coast US

[AGBF]

@iLander , I'm so thankful you evacuated and are safe. I panicked last night when I heard the storm had changed direction a bit. I will continue sending lots of dust, safe wishes and prayers for both you and your family.

@soxfan , You are so lucky your parents aren't in Florida and you aren't having to deal with stubborn old people telling you not to worry LOL. I hope the rest of your family is out of harms way and safe. Dust, dust, dust!

@Mayk Sending lots of safe dust your way. Please stay safe

@tyty333 I have been thinking of you, ILander and Arcadian so much the last few days. Sending lots of dust and love to you and your family. Please stay safe.

@Arcadian Stay safe and thank you so for all your updates. You have helped me more than you could possibly know the past few days. Thank you. Dust, dust, dust

My family is in Tampa and have said they evacuated but I wouldn't bet my life on them telling me the truth. My dad was shaken up when I started crying Thursday so telling me a fib to put my mind at ease is very much a possibility.

Great post, Callie. I believe you hit everyone who has volunteered a name. But prayers and dust go out to everyone, Pricescopers who were not named and non-Pricescopers., too.

iLander, I don't know what made you leave in the end, but I thank God you did!

Hugs to all,
Deb

 

[Arkteia]

I'm not terribly surprised they're so cheap flying in.

Last night some cruise ships dropped off passengers early. These people now have to find a way home. Plus added to people at the airport trying to fly out of here. Yeah its ugly as hell.

Jet Blue dropped the prices to 99 dollars for those evacuating from the hurricane, I read

P.S. I always thought you lived in MA...My best thoughts and wishes with everyone who is in FLA.

 

[Arcadian]

Jet Blue dropped the prices to 99 dollars for those evacuating from the hurricane, I read

P.S. I always thought you lived in MA...My best thoughts and wishes with everyone who is in FLA.

I did until I had enough of winter...lol I officially moved here in 2016.

Jet blue, (bless them) are the ONLY ones that treated the customers right. Many gouged the hell out of folks. Its sad to see that when people are trying hard to get out of harms way.

Ironically, I had friends who had tickets they were planning on using. They get to the airport and the airline was like opps, sorry, you're out of luck. This was American btw.

So they drove from Boca Raton to Tampa. Out of the frying pan, into the fire.

 

[mary poppins]

Here are a couple of live streams showing current conditions.

This one is Mallory Square in Key West where cruise ships usually dock.

And further north, this is outside Dania Beach Bar which is a little south of Ft. Lauderdale (east coast).

 

[Arcadian]

We're getting wind gusts. I pasted some important info from NOAA (they can be a bit hard to read sometimes)

Just some uneducated and basically unscientific thoughts:
Right now Hurricane force winds are only extending out 70 miles from the center. Remember, Florida peninsula is about 162 miles across. So if it stays a CAT 3 and if the eye is just off the west coast, east coast will get tropical storm force winds.

High tide though will mess up both coasts though.



http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT1+shtml/092121.shtml?
SUMMARY OF 500 PM EDT...2100 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...23.4N 80.5W
ABOUT 50 MI...80 KM ENE OF VARADERO CUBA
ABOUT 115 MI...190 KM SE OF KEY WEST FLORIDA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...125 MPH...205 KM/H <---CAT 3!
PRESENT MOVEMENT...WNW OR 295 DEGREES AT 9 MPH...15 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...933 MB...27.55 INCHES

DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
At 500 PM EDT (2100 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Irma was located
near latitude 23.4 North, longitude 80.5 West. Irma is moving toward
the west-northwest near 9 mph (15 km/h). A northwest motion is
expected to begin tonight with a turn toward the north-northwest on
Sunday. On the forecast track, the core of Irma will continue to
move near the north coast of Cuba during the next few hours, and
will reach the Florida Keys Sunday morning. The hurricane is
expected to move along or near the southwest coast of Florida Sunday
afternoon.

Maximum sustained winds are near 125 mph (205 km/h) with higher
gusts. Irma is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Wind Scale. Irma is forecast to restrengthen once it moves
away from Cuba and remain a powerful hurricane as it approaches
Florida.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from
the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195
miles (315 km). Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International airport
recently reported a sustained wind of 47 mph (76 km/h) and a gust
of 70 mph (113 km/h).

The latest minimum central pressure reported by a NOAA Hurricane
Hunter plane was 933 mb (27.55 inches)

--------------------------------

I will try to post the last full summary at 11PM EST but there won't be any guarantees as we're also getting gusts here. For reference, I'm roughly 60 miles north of FLL

 

[AprilBaby]

My brother has evacuated Marco Island with his three sons. My SIL and niece have decided to stay in Naples. I'm devastated. They are divorced and my brother hates women so he left them behind. My SIL is an amazing mom but not so smart. Please pray for their safety!

 

[Bonfire]

My brother has evacuated Marco Island with his three sons. My SIL and niece have decided to stay in Naples. I'm devastated. They are divorced and my brother hates women so he left them behind. My SIL is an amazing mom but not so smart. Please pray for their safety!

Praying @AprilBaby! Will your SIL take her 3 boys to a shelter immediately?! I get the feeling a lot of folks don't fully realize the danger they are in. Help won't be available once the storm hits. Please try to persuade her to do it for her kids.

 

[TooPatient]

My brother has evacuated Marco Island with his three sons. My SIL and niece have decided to stay in Naples. I'm devastated. They are divorced and my brother hates women so he left them behind. My SIL is an amazing mom but not so smart. Please pray for their safety!

That is awful! Hope they stay safe.

 

[minousbijoux]

It is aimed right at us. We are evacuated to Orlando. We are praying hard for family that refuses to go, but at least they are on the mainland but still. We are hoping for some kind of home to go back to. How much damage is the question, not if. This is a suck fest. Thank you guys for your prayers and dust. Let's all dust it until it breaks down to harmlessness. Be back later.

Oh iLander, I'm so happy to hear from you! Thank you so much for checking in! You must have enough on your plate, but I'm so grateful that you posted.

 

[tyty333]

Thank you Calliecake...I hope your family did get out and are in a safe area. Hope their home remains relatively* undamaged.

AprilBaby - I hope your SIL headed towards a shelter. She will be in my thoughts as well as other PS family members in that area.

Arketia - thank you for you wishes.

My thoughts are with all those in the cone....I hope everyone will remain safe.

*I think we're all going to lose a shingle or two...just hoping things stay in the minor repair category for EVERYONE.

 

[Jambalaya]

 

[Jambalaya]

Share the above on your social media page if you can.

 

[Calliecake]

@AprilBaby Many prayers and much dust headed to your niece and SIL. I'm so sorry April, I know how hard this is on everyone.

@tyty333 Please stay safe and update us if you can. Prayers and dust being sent to everyone affected. I spoke with my dad earlier and they did go to Georgia. I'm so thankful they are in a safer place.

@Jambalaya, Thank you for the reminder.

 

[Bonfire]

Oh @Calliecake that is wonderfyl news! I'm sure you are so relieved your Dad is safe! Hopefully this restores a little faith in what he tells you? Sort of?

 

[Arcadian]

@AprilBaby we're in polite company so I can't say what I want about those that abandon their children. I hope your SIL gets to a shelter if she hasn't already.



this is the current track. notice the eyewall is now located off the coast.... good and bad for many.

We're now starting to get rain here. Tornado's have been sighted south of here, and we're under tornado watch. winds have picked up significantly and at times sounds like a freight train going through the neighbhorhood. Basically the outter bands have arrived here.

 

[Bonfire]

I just realized I misread your post @AprilBaby. I apologize. Your brother took the boys and left his daughter behind with his ex. Anyway, for her daughter's sake (and of course her own) I do hope she will go to a shelter.
You must be so distraught. Prayers out going!!!

@Arcadian you are amazeballs!! Please stay safe! Prayers for you too!

 

[AprilBaby]

She has finally decided to go to a shelter! Hopefully the flooding won't get them there!

 

[AGBF]

She has finally decided to go to a shelter! Hopefully the flooding won't get them there!

I am so glad! Thank you for telling us, AprilBaby!

 

[Arcadian]

I just realized I misread your post @AprilBaby. I apologize. Your brother took the boys and left his daughter behind with his ex. Anyway, for her daughter's sake (and of course her own) I do hope she will go to a shelter.
You must be so distraught. Prayers out going!!!

@Arcadian you are amazeballs!! Please stay safe! Prayers for you too!

I'm just kinda scared. I wish I were amazing, I'd be so badass... with my cape flapping in the wind Doing the updates helps me to keep my mind on the stuff that is important and not give in to the fear. Make no mistake this is something pretty darn scary, but staying true to the science helps.

Gusts here are about 25 MPH. the skies are really kinda pinkish. I remember this during Matthew too. 30K + without power right now. Tornado watch until 12am.

 

[december-fire]

Arcadian, of course you're scared! It would be foolish not to be.
May you and everyone else stay safe.

 

[Calliecake]

Great News @AprilBaby !!!!

She has finally decided to go to a shelter! Hopefully the flooding won't get them there!

 

[Calliecake]

@Arcadian YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!! Of course you are scared. You wouldn't be human if you weren't.

Is there anything we can do to help you? I can check in often tomorrow if you have power and just want to chat. I will probably be glued to the tv for storm updates. Please let me know if there is any I can do to help you.

 

[AprilBaby]

The good news: they are at a shelter. The bad news: it's at a local school not far from the beach. I don't think I will sleep much.
Florida people: how is a school safe with 10-15 foot flooding?

 

[Calliecake]

Thank you @Bonfire!!! I'm just glad they went to Georgia. My dad was between a rock and a hard place. His wife has children that live nearby and they refused to leave. I know she felt terrible leaving while they stayed. I'm just glad they realized that they needed to leave. His poor wife had a terrible week with a medical diagnosis and then she's had to leave because of the hurricane. My heart goes out to everyone in Florida. I'm praying everyone stays safe.

 

[AGBF]

Arcadian-

If you are still with us (power wise), let us know. I'm up in the middle of the night and checking the thread. Love you. So sorry you are scared. Wish I could hug you.

Deb

 

[Arcadian]

I'm here but its been a really rough night. Of course I had snoring man and snoring dog with me...lol

The latest

SUMMARY OF 500 AM EDT...0900 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...24.1N 81.5W
ABOUT 40 MI...65 KM SSE OF KEY WEST FLORIDA
ABOUT 140 MI...225 KM S OF NAPLES FLORIDA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...130 MPH...215 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NW OR 325 DEGREES AT 8 MPH...13 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...928 MB...27.41 INCHES

@Calliecake you all do us good by being here. Of course we love this place and having people here just helps. I have friends who are with other friends (and they're in Tampa and near St Pete!) and they're going to have to conserve battery power. My family of course would call me in the middle of the night if they could! I had a very candid call with my mom yesterday. We get each other so she will worry but maybe less. My dad tells her she (me) can handle herself. Good ol dad.

We haven't had any interruptions of service yet which is good but the wind gusts are extremely high and we have had lots of rain already. No tornadoes that I noticed.

The bigger issue is I now have to figure out how the hell am I going to get the dog out to do P &P. Goofy girl loves water and hates being rained on (she has a raincoat, kinda silly but oh well...)

I tried with puppy pads and using the shower stall. shower stall will do only if she had no other choice but it was 10 hours in and barely a tinkle. She's never pooed in the house she's very insistent to go outside. I figure its safest to walk up and down the block if she doesn't statue. I won't let her go in the back yard.

Speaking of dogs. I'm sure some of you all don't think highly of dog racing, but one dog track is about 15 miles south of me. Trainers will be with the dogs. They love those dogs, and would never leave them alone. The dogs are housed in a very rock solid building and if they had to, they would double them up on the top crates for safety (they shouldn't need to they're pretty inland). Greyhounds love to run, they just do. They are well taken care of during their race days.

Its the after or if they didn't make race school that was the biggest issue in this country, but now people are realizing what sweet dogs they really are and the adoption rates are very high. You don't get a little puppy, no, but you do get a great dog with fun personality (who might be kinda sorta lazy until its go time). Kinda like having a 50-90lb cat

 

[Arcadian]

The good news: they are at a shelter. The bad news: it's at a local school not far from the beach. I don't think I will sleep much.
Florida people: how is a school safe with 10-15 foot flooding?

Not far? I guess it would depend. I'm considered not far but far enough to not be in an evacuation zone. If she was in a zone prone to flooding or an evac zone, then it could be very bad indeed.

The school itself will be a concrete structure, I've yet to see a school thats wood framed. The bigger schools will be multi level so they will be able to move higher if needed.

 

[Arcadian]

The eye is crossing over Key West. took the dog out for pees. it was short, and between the houses here. she was NOT pleased, but had to it between wind gusts. No poos but will have to wait until its really urgent.

 

[Missy]

Keeping you all in our thoughts and prayers.

 

[AGBF]

Thank you for the updates, Arcadian. I am glad that you were able to get your dog outside! I hope the greyhounds are doing as as well. Poor animals that are left to the elements!

Deb