Whose in Florida watching Wilma?

[stop the bleeding]

Tampa Bay area is keeping a watchful eye on this, probably will go out and start to stock up on Hurricane supplies, these things always strike on the weekends.

[ixion]

1. I know, right? Always on the weekends...

Going to run out for supplies later today.

[cdsilv]

2. I'm in Orlando at a conference....

...hoping to fly out at noon on Friday (if the airport is still open....).

It's already blowing an east wind here, 5-7 mph, gusting to 10 mph.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. I'm just a bit north of you and it's very still.

[MsUSA]

3. My husband and I are supposed to be attending his daughter's

wedding Nov 12 in Miami......I wonder if it'll even happen. It's another huge storm. D*mn.

[SteppingRazor]

7. That's about a month away! I'm sure it'll still happen...

this thing will be weakened by many factors by the time it gets to Fort Lauderdale/Miami --

The Gulf is cooler than the Caribbean, for one.

Also, there's a cool front over the Gulf.

Finally, the storm will lose strength as it passes over Florida from west to east.

So, no need to worry too much. Miami will still be here when you get down here

[Cetacea]

17. if it passes over the Everglades..

I don't think it is going to lose too much intensity. They are warm as a bathtub. I also wouldn't apply any conventional wisdom to the storms of the new weather era. I think its a different planet at this point.
At any rate, we hope all of you don't lose power and get through it safely if it does hit.

[SteppingRazor]

4. Fort Lauderdale, here!

Not too concerned, though. Feel sorry for you folks on the West Coast, but I imagine we'll be fine in the east, apart from some nasty winds and rain. Nothing too serious. Making sure to stock up on booze and cigarettes and fill the gas tank.

[don954]

6. Same here, im In Fort Lauderdale too, off Marine Mile

I got my gen set ready though, power goes off here if a rat farts...

[Synnical]

12. Also in Fort Lauderdale

Near Downtown. I hope this is the last storm for the year. I still have plenty of supplies - just need to pick up some water and a loaf of bread.

[SteppingRazor]

18. SOUTH FLORIDA MEETUP (as long as I've got a FL thread's attention)

Saturday, Nov.5. Somewhere in Fort Lauderdale, so that it's equidistant for Miami and Palm Beach DUers. Not sure where yet, though, so get your two cents in here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[flvegan]

5. I'm in Tampa. Watching closely.

Stocking up on addtl. supplies today. Still well-stocked from earlier in the year, but can always stand to have a few gallons more water, dog food, etc.

[stop the bleeding]

10. Love the vegetarian skit on your message

my house sits about 1 mile east of US 19 in the Tarpon / Holiday area

We are holding our breath, but also are going out tonight for supplies and I am sure that we will not be the only ones.

[flvegan]

53. Thanks. My mom is also

over that way, about 1 mile west of US 19 in Holiday (Key Vista), so she's very close to the water, as well. This is her first hurricane scare (she just moved down...another blue vote in a red state, I figure).

[stop the bleeding]

54. Key Vista - ouch, I go past there all of the time, it can't be more than

2-4 feet above sea level there, she needs to get out of there if this thing comes this way.

My girlfriend's mom lives on sunset beach in Tarpon

[henslee]

9. Miami in the hizzz-ouse.. Poured like hell last night.

[recoveringrepublican]

11. In Tarpon Springs. Can't evacuate due to jobs, besides where the

hell would I go? Remember during Charley? Every one left and ended up right in his path. Will probably be going to my in-laws, it would take at least a 25 foot surge to even touch their porch.

[stop the bleeding]

14. Same here, need to goto friends house that is over by Starkey park to

avoid the massive storm surge, My girlfriends mom and two of my friends all have houses that sit right on Howard park and Sunset beach.

Watching and waiting

[recoveringrepublican]

22. I'm right near Sunset Beach also. My MIL lives near the Sponge Docks,

but luckily she is on a huge hill. For years she was considered A evacuation, but finally they gave her a D, even though she's a block away from the Anclote river.

[stop the bleeding]

25. I know the hills your talking about, there are only a few high points

in Tarpon and in Pinellas for that matter, if a serious storm surge comes in (15-20+++) feet there is not going much of anything left in regards to Pinellas and T/S. Some of the computer models that I have seen shows that after a stowm like that you would be able to swim from the power plant on anclote road all the way to Ruskin on the other side of the Bay.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

68. Used to go camping at

Sunset Beach when I was in my early 20's back in... well, awhile ago. Beautiful area. Lived in Tampa (mostly Temple Terrace) for quite a lengthy time. Please, everyone be safe !!

[bj2110]

34. In Palm Harbor here. Just moved from Kentucky last year about a month

after Charley. First time through this hurricane thing. What should I be doing here? I'm about a mile or two inland, just off of 19. Not to worried yet, but I wonder if I should be??

[stop the bleeding]

36. you'll need at least 1or 2 five day coolers, lots of bottle H20

food that is non perishable, batteries so that you can listen to the radio, generator if you can find one, fill up you car with gas and also fill up an extra container.

Try to board up you windows if it looks like its going to hit.

Once this thing gets closer people will panic,

Wal mart, home depot ect.. will all be busy, gas will be in short or non existent in the days before and after the storm.

Secure all valuable paperwork, insurance policies ect.

the electricity will go out for at least 2-72 hrs depending on the storm.

Sorry I couldn't be more help, but I am going through the same thing and can not wait to get out of work so that I can start preparing.

Good luck, ask your neighbors who have been here a while.

Lastly welcome to Florida!

[recoveringrepublican]

37. First check out this site

to find your evacuation level and the nearest shelters.

http://www.pinellascounty.org /

On the left under "popular services" click on "Check your evac level"


Then buy lots and lots of water, batteries, flashlights, etc. If you are going to head to shelter back for at least 3 days.

I'm not really worried, but I still can't get images of Katrina out of my head. The stories of kids being swept away, the one about the husband having to let go of his wife to save their kids, make me rethink my "it will never happen here" bullshit.

I don't plan on leaving the Tampa Area. May get a hotel room close to work in case I do have to work, but it's always good to know your shelters.

[bj2110]

39. Thanks. I'll probably go and take care of a couple of those things

tonight just in case. I've got a buddy flying in tomorrow... doh. We'll see how far west it goes before it turns, then maybe make the final preps on Fri.

[Lochloosa]

48. From a native Floridian.

1. Get supplies now. Do not wait. You can always use them next year
2. A mile or two inland may not be far enough. Try your cities web site. Some of them will tell you what areas will flood in what Cat hurricane. Remember, in Katrina the surge went inland SIX miles.
3. Cat 1 or SMALL Cat 2 I will stay for. Anything else, I am out of here.

I just looked at a Google map of your area. You have a lot of Bayou's around you. That means that your area is low and flat. I would think about leaving. And soon.

On Edit: Friday Preps may be too late. Word from the wise.

[Lochloosa]

50. Hurricane Floyd evacuation Pic....sure you want to wait?

[SillyGoose]

13. I'm in Ft. Myers area so watching this closely, too. Today I'll get

supplies stocked and ready, tomorrow the shutters go up. If things start to look really bad for my area, we'll try to leave early Friday am. Not sure where we'll go at this point, though.

[Neocondriac]

16. Silly

Leave Thursday evening. or you'll be stuck in a parking lot Friday Morning.

[SillyGoose]

32. That's my biggest concern...getting stuck in the car on the hwy.

That's good advice, Neocondriac - I will leave Thurs. night if it becomes necessary (hopefully it won't).

[William769]

27. Fort Myers also

Not in a flood zone so we plan on riding it out at home if it hits.

[SillyGoose]

35. We're on a canal but at 18' above SL just outside the flood zone.

We decided to leave if Ft. Myers area is forecasted to get a Cat 3 or more.

How did you fare with Charley last year?

[William769]

56. House was fine very little damage.

But went 30 days without power. I am in North Fort Myers. Having no power in August was a nightmare.

[SillyGoose]

61. Oh my! We were w/o power for 7 days and I thought that was bad.

30 days without power must have been a nightmare! We had little damage here as well aside from a screen cage and a few trees down.

Good luck to you in your preparations for this one. Hopefully we won't get the brunt of it.

[TK421]

42. I used to work at the Edison Mall on Colonial Blvd. You been there

before?

[William769]

57. I can't image anyone living in Fort myers

Not to ever to have been to Edison Mall.

[TK421]

58. You're right, since thats pretty much all there is to do there

But the person I responded to stated it was the Ft.Myers area, so I didn't assume it was right down the road from them

[SillyGoose]

62. Sure...plenty of times! Are you still in this area?

[TK421]

63. No, I moved back to Philly three years ago...but I worked at the Dillard's

there, as well as the Sports Authority and Walgreen's (right before the causeway going into Cape Coma....I mean, Coral!

[SillyGoose]

73. LOL! Cape Coma...for the newlyweds and nearly deads!

[AirmensMom]

15. Boca Raton ...

I'm prepared but scared. Charlie was pretty strong when it went across the state. I won't feel better until Wilma's gone.

[Dudley_DUright]

21. Wilma reminds me a lot of Charlie

which was also very compact and maintained hurricane strength all the way across the state. Luckily, I am near Daytona Beach so I am hoping most of the action is south of me.

[AirmensMom]

24. Me, too -- a lot like Charlie.

I've driven around Lake Okeechobee and seen the damage up there. I'm just glad we have hurricane panels. (I wish we had put the name of the hurricane and dates on one of them every time we had them up.) I hope Wilma misses you ... but I want it to miss me, too, and everyone else. Unfortunately, someone's going to get clobbered.

[teach1st]

19. St. Petersburg Area...

...already ready to bug out, just in case.

[bunny planet]

26. I've got a tiny home in St.Petersburg, though my family lives in NJ now.

We were there for Charlie. I'm just praying my little pink house doesn't blow away this weekend. Scrambling to find a handyman who can go over and board the thing up.

[EuroObserver]

20. My niece on Grand Bahama

is starting to feel concerned. She's not very experienced; had only just arrived (to teach at an international school) when she was startled by the beginnings of Katrina.

Grand Bahama is very low-lying...

[graywarrior]

23. Sarasota.

Shitting my pants.

[murray hill farm]

28. Gotya all beat..unfortunately!

I am sitting on a tiny island of the tip of the yucatan...and worse..i think i am going to ride it out..dumb! But i really dont know where to go...so will head to the higest part of the island and stay with friends there...high being a few feet above sea level.

[stop the bleeding]

30. Good luck and I will think about you later today, also

if you can hang onto to the power maybe you shuold start a Hurrucan / Yucatan update thread.

Kinda like being on the scene reporting.

Good luck!

[Synnical]

31. Yikes! I really wish you'd get out of there

If you can. What's the weather like now?

[murray hill farm]

41. it is sunny and calm now!

I am bringing in what i can and hope for the best! i just listed this house for sale..and have spent the last ten days painting and spiffing it up, etc...nice timeing on my part. in the 1980s, hurricane Gilbert was a direct hit on this island..Isla Mujeres..and for a time folks on the mainland at Cancun thought the island was completely gone...the island was completely covered with water, but no one died here...which is amazing! But now....they here all feel they can survive a cat 5...since they made it through Gilbert. I actually dont know what to do...i guess i will wait until morning tomorrow to decide...and then hope i can get off if that is what i decide then. scary though..gulp!

[watercolors]

72. spent time on your lovely island

we were there a few weeks after Gilbert. We were in Purto Jarzez, I was on a watercolor painting trip. Not much was left, huge piles of depris, and ships up on the roads. It was quite an adventure. We took the ferry to your lovely island and enjoyed the day. I hope you will ride it out OK, stay safe!I hope to go back again.

[phusion]

47. Man...

Good luck there on Isla Mujeres!

May I ask if you are employed in Mexico? I would like to expatriate there too...

[murray hill farm]

55. No, retired!

i am here getting my house ready to sell..wanna buy it..ha! Well...maybe better wait to see if it is still here on friday! Most of the time it is a wonderful place to live...paradise! It is possible to work here..in the tourist ind for the most part..not much money, but u dont need much.

[phusion]

59. hehe

Yea, guess we should wait!

Anyway--I was thinking more like Monterrey, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes, or Guadalajara. I'd like to work possibly as an English newspaper editor (i.e. the English branch of a major Spanish paper) or maybe an English teacher...Who knows?

Just a pipedream right now...But I love Mexico!!

[EuroObserver]

65. Get out now, mexicopat.

SEE: http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/nwatl-wv-loop.h...

Think storm surge 15ft+



But:

From Jeff Master's Blog (Updated: 9:15 PM GMT on October 19, 2005):
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html

<snip>

Where will Wilma go?
There is now a high degree of uncertainty in the forecast for Wilma. NHC has not adjusted the official forecast much with the 5 pm advisory, other than to slow down Wilma a bit. However, a major shift in the model guidance occurred with the just completed 12Z (8 am) runs, that may force NHC to make major modifications to the official forecast if further model runs continue to show this shift. Three of the top models--the GFS, GFDL, and UKMET models--now show that the trough of low pressure that was expected to pull Wilma sharply northwards and then northeast across Florida is progressing slower than expected, and will not dig as far south. If this forecast verifies, it would be very bad news for Mexico. Wilma may not pass east of Mexico through the Yucatan Channel as originally thought, and may instead make a landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula near Cozumel or Cancun Island on Thursday night or Friday morning, probably as a Category 4 hurricane.

<snip>

"Here is the Paamul update. After a very cloudy morning we did have some blue sky around 11:00am CDT. Now at 2:00pm CDT the Sky is almost overcast with picturesque clouds. There are a few light showers. We have a light breeze from north with winds what feel more and more warmer. The morning <5am CDT> showed 76 Fahrenheit now we have 88. Paamul is boarding up and will evacuate tomorrow. There is a confusion were to go since some of the newest computer models showing landfall on the Yucatan with a turn around and going back to the Caribbean. I was told the mood in the city of Playa del Carmen changed from almost ignorance two days ago to panic right now. There is no gasoline or diesel anywhere between Cancun and Tulum. Groceries seams to be tight. Batteries are out. There is price poaching going on. The Newspapers do their best to bring the panic up."

<snip>



</snip>

[murray hill farm]

66. Thanks

i have decided to leave...even if i just go to cancun..it will be safer than here..and with everyone trying to get out of there, i am hopeful i can get a room. thanks for posting..thanks for caring.

[Synnical]

69. I'm glad you've changed your mind

Stay safe - we'll be thinking of you.

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

[EuroObserver]

75. Good n/t

[ellenfl]

29. northern palm beach county . . . on the beach.

hoping it loses strength as it comes across the state. don't like the lowest ever recorded barometric pressure tho'. i'm glad i left my (clear plastic) shutters up all summer. still have to get my mother's place closed up.

maybe canada could send us a cold front?

ellen fl

[geomon666]

33. In Miami

As always, watching, waiting.

[bluedog]

38. St Petersburg here

right about the weekend bit........we always lose power even when its not blowing.all it takes is a tad of rain.......

[flyarm]

40. sand key beach fla.....but

up in nj right now..fla is my winter home..

for all you in effected areas ..stay safe!!!

i am on nj beach so i could take a double wammy..but thats the risk one takes for beach living!!

but do stay safe everyone!!

life is too valuable to risk for wood ,nails, mortar and bricks!!

fly

[Coexist]

43. Pasco county

wait-and-see mode here.

[stop the bleeding]

44. there are 175,00 people in Pasco that do not have the means to

evacuate. This could be bad and where would they go?

[Coexist]

46. the Middle and High schools are all designated shelters. They would

come inland to these shelters.

[stop the bleeding]

49. They still couldn't hold the 175,000 people that can't drive plus all

of the ones that can drive - this is a bad situation, there was a big write up in the St. Pete times a few weeks ago, and this situation does not even factor in if people from Hillsborough and Pinellas goto Pasco for shelter.

On a worse case situation Pasco could end up trying to shelter a half of million people if people come north from Hills and Pinellas.

Shelters or no shelters this is a bad deal if this thing hits here.

[Coexist]

51. Well, let's hope for the best

and prepare for the worst. There is not much else to do at this point.

[ComerPerro]

45. I am watching Wilma, but that's because I work for a telecom company

that services Florida.

So, even though I'm in KS, I'm still watching.

And am worried.

I hope everyone in the area takes shelter and gets enough supplies.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

52. Orlando here

we are still within the hit-probability zone so I'm keeping an eye on it.

Hopefully we don't get Charlied. Looks like somebody's going to get it bad though.

[LuCifer]

60. Ft. Drum, anyone?!

I figured I'm the only one out here in BFE that is on DU!

And I hate to sound like a broken rec, broken rec, broken record, but FUKU JEB for your CRAP job in Okeechobee county...YAY! TARP ROOF FOR YOU, AND ONE FOR ME...scumbags!

Lu

[stop the bleeding]

64. Where is Fort Drum and where is BFE

[wallybarron]

67. Treasure Coast

here. Hope it's not too bad here. My husband saw a cotton mouth while biking in FT. Drum yesterday.

[LuCifer]

70. I HATE SNAKES!

Ft. Drum IS BFE! BumbleFuckEgypt! I'm amazed it's on most maps!

Lu

[watercolors]

71. Cocoa Fl. here

drove down to Vero to pick up mom to stay with us. I"m not really too concerned here. After last year and three of them I figure we can get thru this one. Mom is in mobile home and 90 yrs, I feel better if she is with us.Traffic was not bad at all on 95, I figured if we went early we could avoid a mess. I hope everyone will be safe!

[Synnical]

74. 8 PM Wednesday - Latest Computer Model

Edit: Cripes, I thought by 11:48 the site would have updated to the 11 PM uddate.

My bad.

[mnhtnbb]

76. Great maps

to watch the progress of Wilma in color, infrared, visible image.

Click the links for the West Atlantic/Caribbean

http://www.hurricaneadvisories.com/tropsat.html