[Gabz]

I can't imagine what the folks in Florida are going through right now.

While I am not optimistic for the folks in FLA that this will take a tack to the north, I'm still keeping an eye on this thing even as far north as I am.

[Dog Gone]

Unless this storm is undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle at landfall, she will be at least a Category 4 storm. Right now it has a 160 mile swath of hurricane winds which might get bigger as it encounters the Gulf Stream.

At the moment, Francis is tracking slighty north of the projected path, but the last couple of frames indicate a more westerly movement, so this may just be the ordinary wobbles we routinely see. Sort of a stairstep approach toward landfall, so to speak.

I think Jeb was right to call a state of emergency for the entire state even this far in advance.

[Normal4me]

I was in Cocoa Beach/Canveral all day long. People are parked on the roads just trying to get in the lumber and hardware stores. I have been in this area all my life and I do construction work. It is a very sick feeling driving down A1A and thinking to myself, "Well that building won't be there Monday morning". The old bungalows built in the 50's have no chance, the newer condos will survive with damaged roofs. I fully expect the roads to be littered with trees and powerlines and other debris.

The biggest thing I learned today is that there is never enough time. We can do as much as possible and then have to sit and watch what happens and do everything we can to survive.