Newyorkrita said:Ann, you have gotten the drill down very well. Hope you don't have to need any of the hurricane prep.

Lin, not surprising as everyone runs out at once to stock up. Hope you got everything you needed.

Thanks Rita. We don't have much to do if we need to do anything. We're waiting. Will see what things look like tomorrow morning. We really just have patio chairs, a few potted plants (tomatoes ), bird & hummie feeders to put away. Other than that, it's fill the drinking water jugs - we have 2, six gallon jugs & fill one of the tubs for washing & flushing water & such as that. It's enough after all those years we had to go through the whole nine yards.

We're all set here ... just a couple of bird feeders to get in but I'm waiting until late this afternoon or early evening to do that so the birdies can have seeds before the storm arrives. My husband still needs to get his ladder and get the big Staghorn Fern from the oak tree out back but I finished moving all the plants around the pool and trying to secure many other potted plants in the wooded areas. I tipped them all over onto their sides and hope the wind doesn't send them flying. I also tipped two heavy cement bird baths over ... don't think they'd go anywhere but I have no idea what kinds of wind we will get so to be safe I just went ahead and dumped them over too.

We have plenty of food and water to last a good while. If we lose electricity, we'll cook on the grill and plug the microwave into the generator if necessary to warm things. We'll mainly use the generator to power the two refrigerators and the aquarium.

Oh oh, the forecast I am reading on Weather Underground calls for landfall along the east coast of central Florida on Friday.

Hope it stays more out to sea and just leaves!!

And whats this latest that it is not going to curve out eastwards to the sea but instead loop around and make another pass at the Bahamas and maybe Florida? I am surprised that such a thing can happen!

Let's all keep our finger crossed.

Rita , you guys on LI don't need any more storms either.
(PS, I grew up on the North Shore and visited family in Stony Brook this past summer.)

Rita,

Hurricanes are so very unpredictable. I quit watching the news because it seems like every channel says something different. There's not much any of us here on the coast can do except watch, wait and be as prepared as possible. I truly hope those who live right on the coast, the barrier islands evacuate! There will be massive beach erosion and a lot of damage if it comes as close to the coastline as predicted. Matthew is a huge, dangerous storm. We are all batten down here and prepared; always hope for the best but prepare for the worst. We have enough food and water to last a week or more (for us and our dogs) and gas for the generator to keep the two refrigerators operational and the aquarium.

Stay safe everyone!

You can't believe that one, Rita. That's our dear Weather Terrorists making drama out of a remote possibility. There are 8 different tracks on the models, and only one of them has that loop around scenario at the moment. Our weather guy says we have a cold front that is going to follow along right after the hurricane which will dry things out, and also help to push the storm further out to sea.

Lin, if you also group as many of your plant pots together as you can, they will tend to not fly around so easily. Turn them on their sides and snuggle them up to each other so they don't have any spaces between the pots for the wind to get into. (I know you must be exhausted already, but if you still have a little bit of nervous energy working for you .. )

Ann's ideas are terrific. I like the showering with the watering cans idea a LOT. After the storm when the sun comes out, you can fill the watering cans and just leave them out in the sun for a while to get warm, too. I've done the freezing jugs of water before, as well. Ice water for drinking in the powerless days after the storm is a real luxury.

Yes, stay safe and hopefully stay out of the storms path. It is true that they seem to be having a difficult time forecasting the future track of Mathew. Of course I don't know anything about these things and just rely on what they say on the news and on media. Which as you say, changes!!

dyzzypyxxy said:You can't believe that one, Rita. That's our dear Weather Terrorists making drama out of a remote possibility. There are 8 different tracks on the models, and only one of them has that loop around scenario at the moment. Our weather guy says we have a cold front that is going to follow along right after the hurricane which will dry things out, and also help to push the storm further out to sea.
.

Well, I certainly hope it is wrong about about the loop around. Out to sea would be great.

Just popping in from way up here in Canada to wish everyone all the best.
Keeping a watch on Matthew, and, sending prayers for your safety ..

~M~

dyzzypyxxy said:You can't believe that one, Rita. That's our dear Weather Terrorists making drama out of a remote possibility. There are 8 different tracks on the models, and only one of them has that loop around scenario at the moment. Our weather guy says we have a cold front that is going to follow along right after the hurricane which will dry things out, and also help to push the storm further out to sea.

Lin, if you also group as many of your plant pots together as you can, they will tend to not fly around so easily. Turn them on their sides and snuggle them up to each other so they don't have any spaces between the pots for the wind to get into. (I know you must be exhausted already, but if you still have a little bit of nervous energy working for you .. )

Ann's ideas are terrific. I like the showering with the watering cans idea a LOT. After the storm when the sun comes out, you can fill the watering cans and just leave them out in the sun for a while to get warm, too. I've done the freezing jugs of water before, as well. Ice water for drinking in the powerless days after the storm is a real luxury.

I was reading news on my phone earlier & just happened to run across a news channel out of Miami where the weather guy was saying it was all dependent on which path Matthew took around Andros Island & if it went west around it then Matthew was going to hit Miami dead on & then cross the state heading west.
I was like whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttttttttttt????? How did he even get allowed to go on the air with that folderol??????
The s&$t is a flying folks!

MarilynneS said:Just popping in from way up here in Canada to wish everyone all the best.
Keeping a watch on Matthew, and, sending prayers for your safety ..

~M~

Thank you Marilynne & Rita too from all my fellow Floridians as well as other south coasters such as GA & SC.

flaflwrgrl said:I was like whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttttttttttt????? How did he even get allowed to go on the air with that folderol??????
The s&$t is a flying folks!

Yep ... it's all about the ratings and of course the $$$$$$$$.

My husband just asked me if I knew what the storm was doing and I told him no that I had not been watching the news. Matthew is a very large and tentatively dangerous storm but there's nothing we can do to make him go a certain way. All we can do is prep our homes and belongings the best we can and be prepared to lose power for however long and have supplies on hand and hope for the best.

I't's a shame about the news folks and all the hype because they really scare some of the young kids as well as the elderly. My mom used to be glued to the t.v. during stuff like this which was not good.

It's hard not to get swept up in watching, it really is. You start watching just to find out one thing that you have a question about & of course that makes you HAVE to watch for 15-20 min. and by then they've got you hooked sort of like watching soap operas hooks you. You think the answer is right around the corner but noooooooooooooooooo, they suck you in & then you're hooked.

I've learned to ignore it for the most part. I'm sure as it gets closer to our coast I will be glued to the t.v. .... until we lose power.

This applies to anywhere in the US; if you go to this link & put your zip code in the box up there on the left, then it will take you to the LOCAL for your area.
http://forecast.weather.gov/Ma...
If you look on the one I linked it says in the right corner up there with the blue & gray colors & exclamation point - NWS Jacksonville Briefing for Hurricane Matthew & there is a link you can click on. That will take you to the page where info. particular to your area is. Example:
http://www.weather.gov/media/j...
Some great info. & graphics there that are not designed to scare but rather inform without blowing things out of proportion.

I just typed in my zip code and Friday looks like the worst day for us; copying and pasting what it says:

Friday
Hurricane conditions expected. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 86. West northwest wind 90 to 110 mph becoming southwest 45 to 55 mph. Winds could gust as high as 135 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

I didn't think we'd be getting possible wind gusts of 135 mph. I don't know if we will lose power but I'm sure we'll lose cable; Comcast has been a pain off and on for the 5 months we've lived here in Sebastian! So, if y'all don't see me posting after Friday, it's more than likely because our cable is down.

plantladylin said:I just typed in my zip code and Friday looks like the worst day for us; copying and pasting what it says:

Friday
Hurricane conditions expected. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 86. West northwest wind 90 to 110 mph becoming southwest 45 to 55 mph. Winds could gust as high as 135 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

I didn't think we'd be getting possible wind gusts of 135 mph. I don't know if we will lose power but I'm sure we'll lose cable; Comcast has been a pain off and on for the 5 months we've lived here in Sebastian! So, if y'all don't see me posting after Friday, it's more than likely because our cable is down.

That's pretty rotten Lin. All I can say is you've lived in FL long enough to know how to stay safe during a 'cane so carry on!
I don't have any worries about your house coming down around your ears so that's on the plus side.
You have any benadryl you can give the dogs to chill them out? Barring that -- valium?

plantladylin said:I just typed in my zip code and Friday looks like the worst day for us; copying and pasting what it says:

Friday
Hurricane conditions expected. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 86. West northwest wind 90 to 110 mph becoming southwest 45 to 55 mph. Winds could gust as high as 135 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

I didn't think we'd be getting possible wind gusts of 135 mph. I don't know if we will lose power but I'm sure we'll lose cable; Comcast has been a pain off and on for the 5 months we've lived here in Sebastian! So, if y'all don't see me posting after Friday, it's more than likely because our cable is down.

Ann, Nope, no Benadryl or Valium in the house. I think the dogs will be fine ... they are pretty laid back. The puppy was a little freaked when he heard my husband putting up the storm shutters this morning so I put him and Bo on their leashes and took them out so they could see that it was just Daddy making all the noise and after that, the banging of shutters going up didn't phase either of them in the least. I'm really glad they don't get nervous with loud noises! If the winds are raging really loud tomorrow night and they seem bothered, I'll just take them to the downstairs bathroom where there is no window ... that's Bo's quiet place when he wants to get away from Toby's hyper energy and I think they will both settle easily in there ... we'll see.