Oh, wonderful!

I can see that Saturday night in Ocala is going to be fun!

Orlando,      The loss of Power and Water is a pain....  please may it be short

Tampa here.  We dodge a bullet last time.  Not sure what it will be like this time.

Vero Beach (Indian River County) here, looks like we are the bulls eye for this mother. Tonight might be the last time I post for a while. Boarded up and hoping it turns more north.

Quoted: Destin/Ft. Walton bch here...waiting to see if she'll cross over and give us some rain. Cat. 4 that is breathing again today...could be a cat. 5 landfall. Hold on FL east coasters, she's is on the way. if you have a family or friends in the target area, tell them to leave. bad storm.

How long have you been here?

I didn't think we had any arfcommers in town!

O-town here.... hope all of us stay safe!!!
good luck guys!!!

Deltona here, Volusia county

All buttoned up; house stocked; vehicle in garage for the first time in years.    Family should be fine.

I will report to work at Seminole County Public Safety (EOC) tomorrow and may be released next Tuesday.  Still though, if the OT check is anything like Charley, I can't complain too much.  

See you all again on the other side of the black hole.    

-White Horse

Live in Plant City, work all over Polk County as a Building Maintenance Tech for Verizon, so I'll be out immediately afterward assessing and repairing damage throughout Polk (if we make it through the storm OK at home, that is). Wish us luck!

Quoted: take it you intend to stay ? Have you noticed that the predicted Florida landfall has been moved south on every 12 update in the last 72 hours ? Not trying to be chicken little but that has been the trend.

Yep. Were staying put. My neighbor Echo6 has shutters in place and he has left me the key as he is staying at his other house. I can evacuate last minute to his pad next door should Frances make an abrupt left turn towards Broward county. After Andrew, I know the right things to do to stay alive.

Right now, we're getting light squally rains and some occasional lightning. I've been told conditions will begin to deteriorate tommorrow early in the afternoon. I'm about 15 miles from the beach, so no worries about strom surge. Echo6 is about 2-3 miles from the beach, but outside the mandatory evacuation zone for now.

I'll be posting updates as long as power permits. Be safe folks, this one's moving so slow that the rainfall amount is gonna be rediculous. God Bless.

HS1

St. Pete Beach here!  I hate to wish this storm on someone else, but I have water on two sides, and I am really hoping this thing turns north soon!  I'm suddenly remembering stories my grandpa told and wondering why I bought a house on an island!  Bikinis, butt-flossers, and tanned women, that's why!

Damn this is a big storm!

BigGuns, I am on the South Tampa isthmus into the bay on Westshore blvd.  I've got water on both sides of me too.  How concerned are you here on the west coast?

Quoted: I may do the 'Slim Pickens' Yeeeeeeeeeeehaw!

<------------------------------------ Dude, let's do it.


Largo - Pinellas Co on the Gulf checking in.

Deerfield Beach checking in.  Actually at work now in South Miami and here until the storm is over.  I work at a power plant and we're keeping the units on until the bitch (Frances) makes us take em off.  Wife and stepson are hunkered down at home with plenty of supplies and ammo.

Normally in Gainesville, but I'm staying at my parent's place in Coral Springs (about 10? miles east of Ft Lauderdale). I was going to drive back up to Gainesville this afternoon, but I'm getting real paranoid about the traffic and the availability of gas on the way up. How's that drive to Ocala, Zaphod?

We're hunkered down here allright with a full set of shutters and a decent supply of food and water. Little short on ammo, though (all I have is my CCW piece, and all of the funstores are closed. Can you believe there aren't any funstores at all in this city? WTF?)

Anyways, it looks like it'll hit a ways north of us, but this thing is so huge, who knows how bad it will be here. I'll keep checking in as long as we have power and internet.

Miami 2300 hours getting on and off rain and some wind gusts, Miami is 26 degrees lat and Frances is about 25 degrees lat, will be on the southwest side of the swirl, figuring about 1200 Friday to get up to 50mph winds and rain, I get conflicting reports that it's northwest tracking and then it's west-northwest tracking, I wonder if Publix, Walmart and Home Depot don't have some kinda conspiracy going, anybody have any waterproof tinfoil hats?

Quoted: I'm in Coral Springs.....Can you believe there aren't any funstores at all in this city? WTF?

I know! The Coral Springs Wal-mart doesn't even sell ammo! Liberal City commissioners!
If you have time tommorrow morning, head down to the Davie Wal-mart and pick up some ammo.
IM me if you need anything. Directions or whatever! Let me know, we aren't very far away. 15 miles or so.

HS1

I'm staying. No way to get out now, the highways are clogged.
Wish me luck.

Quoted: BigGuns, I am on the South Tampa isthmus into the bay on Westshore blvd.  I've got water on both sides of me too.  How concerned are you here on the west coast?

It's all a matter of degrees and where the eye passes for us.  Not as bad as straight at us, but if winds are right and tides are high, you and I are going to get wet!  I think they will evacuate Mobile homes tomorrow morning here, but too late to start an all-out evacuation.

I have backup plans to move to high ground if things get too squirrely.  I'm shipping my wife, youngest kid, and dog into town.  It's about a ten minute drive from here but a C evacuation zone rather than my A.  I leave just before bridges shut down, depending what's going on.  My oldest son and I stay, batten down the house, and help my neighbors with sand bags.  (They've been underwater in Elena, and the "storm of the decade")  Sounds like you're in an "A" evacuation zone as well.

If the wind is pushing water up in the bay on a high tide, you've actually got bigger concerns than I do on the beach, especially with the expected rain amounts.  Have a plan to move to higher ground, if you can.  My family has lived in St. Pete since about 1890.  I am the first dumbass to own a house on the beach.  My grandpa is probably laughing at me right now.  Many stories about how passes and islands were formed and dissapeared during hurricanes.  That's why they call them barrier islands.

I guess it boils down to that I'm praying for this storm to head North, but will keep a constant vigil, and have a plan A, B, C, and D if the water rises.  If it hits direct, I hope it has expended energy over the middle of the state.  I feel bad for those folks getting it twice from two different directions, though.

There ain't no trailer going to be safe during this!  ANYBODY in one should seek other shelter, now!  

Good luck in Tampa and stay safe!

Quoted: Quoted: I'm in Coral Springs.....Can you believe there aren't any funstores at all in this city? WTF? I know! The Coral Springs Wal-mart doesn't even sell ammo! Liberal City commissioners! If you have time tommorrow morning, head down to the Davie Wal-mart and pick up some ammo. IM me if you need anything. Directions or whatever! Let me know, we aren't very far away. 15 miles or so. HS1

Yeah, I checked the new Wal-Mart here. I drove around Davie some too, but all the gunstores and pawn places were already closed and boarded up, and I don't expect much of anything to be open tomorrow. Oh well, I don't really like not having much ammo during a hurricane, but I have to admit that chances are slim that I'll even have to pull it, much less shoot enough to worry about reloading.

And speaking of liberal city commissions, Gainesville is pretty liberal too, but they have two gunstores downtown, plus a couple of gun and pawns, and the Wal-Marts sell guns and ammo.

Anyways, I don't expect it to get real bad here, but I'll IM you if we need anything.

Quoted: And speaking of liberal city commissions, Gainesville is pretty liberal too,...

Ain't that the truth.  

I left Lakeland this afternoon, returning home to Gainesville.  Backroads moved normal, but as you've all seen I-75 was at times a parking lot.  

Will probably be going back on Sunday, if able.  We have 4 manufactured home communities in Polk county.  Really worried about our residents.  Dodged Charlie, but this one's gonna' be ugly.

Hey guys. What's up? MasterGreens, mace, and White_horse, I know you guys are prepared.
I hope everyone has good luck over the next few days.

Some good news though.. The storm has been down graded to Cat. 3. We'll see what happens though.

From noaa.gov

WTNT31 KNHC 030245 TCPAT1 BULLETIN HURRICANE FRANCES ADVISORY NUMBER  37...CORRECTED NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 11 PM EDT THU SEP 02 2004 CORRECTED INITIAL INTENSITY TO 125 MPH ...FRANCES WEAKENS SLIGHTLY...STILL A DANGEROUS CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE MOVING THROUGH THE BAHAMAS...

Quoted: ... Wish me luck.

OK - Good luck!

Looking at Florida Radar the first feeder band squall-lines are getting Jax and minor squalls are getting into the Miami area too.  It's going to be a looooooog couple of days.

East Hillsbrough County here.  Borderline on the impact.  Could be gale level winds and lots of rain.  Not looking forward to another thing to worry about.

Well, here goes!

Moving from Miami to Ocala. Wish me luck!

In Jacksonville.  Will be working on the catastrophe unit for my large insurance co during the storm.  Supplies laid in at work.  Getting geared up for more 14 hour days.  It's been a busy summer...