Swampie! Update us. How are you?

 

We're good. Got my house and my sister's house boarded up yesterday. Mrs. S and my sister froze several gallons of water and a couple of pots of coffee. We've been spending this day preparing the safe room and securing pictures and essentials from water damage should the roof come off. Yes, the bourbon is secure.

 

I still have power, though I expect it to go any time. Our phones, tablets, and halos are charging. We have a portable radio in the safe room. I am in constant contact with my daughter in Largo, thanks to the Zello ap. They are all hunkered down over there.

 

If it gets too bad my neighbor has invited us over to their house, it's brand new and up to code. That means that it is rated for a category 5 hurricane. It currently looks like something out of a Star Trek episode.

Talked to my cousins in West Palm Beach they are all safe.

I heard from him a little while ago. He said there was a tornado warning around 1:00. Wind was picking up blowing debris around, was concerned about what was hitting the house. In typical swamprat fashion, he did tell me the bourbon has been secured.

 

I was typing when you posted. They just downgraded Irma to a category 2.

I was typing when you posted. They just downgraded Irma to a category 2.

 

Hope it drops to a tropical depression! That would make everyone feel better!

Yes, the bourbon is secure.

I gotta be honest, if I was there riding this hurricane out "securing the bourbon" would have a different meaning, my friend.

 

We're good. Got my house and my sister's house boarded up yesterday. Mrs. S and my sister froze several gallons of water and a couple of pots of coffee. We've been spending this day preparing the safe room and securing pictures and essentials from water damage should the roof come off. Yes, the bourbon is secure.

 

I still have power, though I expect it to go any time. Our phones, tablets, and halos are charging. We have a portable radio in the safe room. I am in constant contact with my daughter in Largo, thanks to the Zello ap. They are all hunkered down over there.

 

If it gets too bad my neighbor has invited us over to their house, it's brand new and up to code. That means that it is rated for a category 5 hurricane. It currently looks like something out of a Star Trek episode.

 

Glad to hear it's working well! And great news on the storm weakening...:thumb:

Irma is sucking the water out of the bays on the west coast of Florida.

 

Bay Shore Drive, in Tampa, normally has water right up to it. Any heavy wind causes the waves to lap up over the street. Early this afternoon, people were walking on the empty beach left there by the water being drawn out of the Bay. Freaky lookin'.

Power just blinked. Won't be long, now, until lights out.

Hang tight SR.

 

If all goes well I'll see you Friday. I've got a bottle of Elmer T to celebrate hurricane survival.

State officials say 2.7 million without power in Florida as of now. Local Sarasota news was saying earlier that Sarasota Bay had receded by about 50 feet - which is what will fuel the storm surge. This has left boats and a few manatees trapped in the mud... they were able to move the manatees to deeper water.

Power just blinked. Won't be long, now, until lights out.

Be careful

(CNN)There hasn't been a storm like Irma to hit the US. Ever.

 

Consider these stats from CNN's meteorology team:

Irma is the strongest Atlantic basin hurricane ever recorded outside the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea

It spent three days as a Category 5 hurricane, the longest Category 5 hurricane since satellite storm-tracking began

No storm on record has maintained winds 185 mph or above for as long as Irma (total of 37 hours)

It prompted the largest evacuation in the history of the Bahamas -- and potentially the largest in the US

 

All the records Irma has already broken - and other jaw-dropping stats - CNN

Hang tight SR.

 

If all goes well I'll see you Friday. I've got a bottle of Elmer T to celebrate hurricane survival.

 

I am all over that.

Here in Citrus Park we are up to 35 - 50 mph winds, with gusts between 60 and 70 mph. The University of Tampa recently had a 72 mph gust.

Just looked at a closeup of the south Florida radar and it looks like the eye will pass directly over Marco Island within an hour. Growing up we used to vacation in the Naples/Marco area every year, a 10-15 foot storm surge is going to be devastating to those areas.

 

Headed to Naples in December for about 10 days.