Posted on 08/13/2004 7:24:06 AM PDT by STARWISE
ALL FLORIDIANS, PLEASE COMMENT ON CONDITIONS, ESPECIALLY THOSE ON SOUTHERN WEST COAST
I'm inland from Tampa Bay about 25 miles. Dear God, I'm scared. I lost it all in Andrew in '92 and left South Florida after a year and a half to come to this area.
Please keep me and all those going through this storm in your prayers. I'm alone here, and this storm's probably going to be very damaging and destructive. I'm picking up branches, objects lying about. I've filled the tub with water, I'll bringing in my dog and my birds, I haven't taped the windows as I've heard that can cause worse problems when the windows are broken. I pulled the car right up close to the house on the south side. I've draped the windows with fabric to stop debris or glass .. but in high winds, it probably won't be much help.
I've got old, tall oak trees overhead .. and I don't know how the roof or house or I will fare. There is no inner room without a window, so my location will probably be my shower stall on the south side of the house. It has one typical bathroom window. There is no other place where my dog and I could at least be surrounded with some strengthened walls.
I'm not in an evacuation area, and I wouldn't be able to take my pets in anyway.
Even if I have to get offline because I need to move the computer, there may be some insight and help offered until then and many thousands of us in this area may be helped by some tip.
PLEASE pray Charley away from here .. please pray for my and our safety on the West Central Florida coast. God Bless Us All.
Seriously - from this map, the storm surge is going to pile up in the North Port area. Tell your inlaws to try and GET OUT - although, looking at the map, I'm not sure if they're going to be able to in time - they should try at least to get to a shelter on higher ground.
They don't know where to go. Anyone know where the shelters are?
How close are they to that small fork of the bay on the map?
80 & 83 years old! what are their neighbors doing, are they leaving?
the local police would know.
Have them call 9-11. And have them start getting their important papers together in a watertight bag or container, and pack a few days worth of clothes, toiletries, medicines, and some blankets and pillows. They need to be ready to bug out even if they chose not to leave at the moment.
Were I you I'd tell them to get to high ground FAST.
they evacuated too many people in the tampa bay area (with 20/20 hindsight), and I fear not enough around this port charlotte area.
Starwise,
I'll add you to my prayer list. My familie's right there, too, in the Tampa Bay area. Remember that God is in control and He's with you. You are NOT alone!
Hang in there and check back tomorrow or at your earliest to let us know how you are. That goes for all you Floridians! Stay safe!
Rabbit inside- check.... 4 turtles inside- check..... one German Shepard- check.. 4 kids -check... one wife- check.... well we're all ready.
looks like 2 hours from Lee Island coast..Sanibel/Pine Island and Cape Coral...
sirens outside....will see
Good luck, Starwise. This won't be an Andrew.
The skies are darkening and a light rain is just beginning to fall. No wind, the trees are still and it feels like all the air is being sucked out. Very humid.
I'm trying to kill time here, I'm starting to go nuts waiting around for this thing.
The kids are all playing outside right now. Good for them to use up some energy before becoming house bound.
Hmmm...rabit first, wife last. I think you need to have a talk with your wife! LOL!!!!
where are you exactly? CNN now saying it could make landfall as a cat 4, maybe you should evacuate.
Hmmmm, you might be right, still looks like a tampa bay hit to me, I'll go check the models.
They didn't say what the neighbors are doing. If I recall correctly, there are a lot of retired people in that area.
For the freeper with the North Port family... don't worry.
It's well inland from the water... if they go then all of Port Charlotte is toast. If they're interested the North Port High school is open and not full.
if it goes to a cat 4, and the track stays the same - they may have a mandatory evacuation. maybe they will heed that, as the authorites ask them to identify next of kin if they don't want to leave.
True, this isn't Andrew. Andrew was a fairly dry storm but with catastrophic winds. This storm is more like Donna, with catastrophic storm surge. Well-built homes that are far enough inland will be ok but people on the coast in low-lying areas are in big trouble. Here in the keys, Donna washed away a lot of homes. The house I lived in as a child was built on the foundation of a house Donna washed away. The 1935 hurricane that was so deadly was bad as far as storm surge goes. The hurricane monument in Islamorada shows the high water mark that particular storm made, and let me tell you, it's sobering. My house is fairly high up on our island, but if we'd had warning of storm surge like the west coast is getting, we'd have been GONE. Our house would have been standing, but not much else.
but the surge is going to push right into that harbor area. those inland waterways, the northeast quadrant of the storm, it will be right there.
Nothing new, best source now is cnn, and local news. Radar will pick up a turn faster then nay thing else now. My info still has it a 95 kts.
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