Sounds like a plan Lin.

Was in Barbados once when a tropical storm came through .. the locals told us to buy a bottle of rum and tie ourselves to a palm tree.. lol !!
It came through, lotsa rain and wind, but didn't last long.

My parents friends from years ago live (lived) in Sebastian .. Persian Lane ..


~M~

Tropical storms can be fierce with winds from 50 to 70 mph. Winds of 74 mph and higher are considered hurricane force. There are different categories of hurricanes:

Category 1 Hurricane: 74-95 mph sustained winds. Some damage.
Category 2 Hurricane: 96-110 mph sustained winds. Extensive damage.
Category 3 Hurricane: 111-129 mph sustained winds. Devastating damage.
Category 4 Hurricane: 130-156 mph sustained winds. Catastrophic damage.
Category 5 Hurricane: 157 mph and higher winds. Catastrophic damage.

Right now Hurricane Matthew is a Cat. 3 storm but intensifying once again to a Cat. 4 storm. Everyone on the east coast of Florida and as far north as the Carolina's needs to be alert! Kudos to the local government in either North or SouthCarolina; I heard on the news that all lanes of all interstate highways are now one way, in directions away from the coast!

I've experienced Cat 1 and 2 Hurricanes and those are scary enough, I'm hoping for the best with Matthew but he doesn't appear to be weakening. This is the first time weathering a storm in this house so it should be interesting. We have a metal roof, we're all shuttered up and should be okay until Matthew passes sometime tomorrow.

The last Category 3 storm to hit Florida was Wilma in 2005 and it caused more than $15 Billion dollars in damages in the southern part of Florida.

My Mother wont leave her house on the island. Im fixing to get in the car. I will be in Indialantic, on the river, can see the ocean, and Jim Cantore of the weather channel is right down at the beach. Im shaking, but here I go, maybe I can get some good pictures.

Pam, there is a mandatory evacuation of all barrier islands! I hope you can convince your mom to leave, get to higher ground, find shelter inland! Your lives are much more important than a building structure and any objects/belongings ... which you won't be able to protect from this massive Cat. 4 storm! I don't know how old your mom is but please try to convince her to use common sense.

Here in my area (Chatham County, Georgia) they have issued evacuation for all island communities and areas east of Interstate 95 which are the low-lying, coastal areas of the county. My house is further inland so I'll stay put and ride it out. My daughter and her dog are safe in Birmingham, Alabama although they were on the road in traffic for about 11 very long hours last night.

Hope everyone stays safe.

Pam - I would strongly recommend you call the police non-emergency number and have an officer call on your mom to tell her she must leave because they can't rescue her. She may be making you risk your life as well as her own. She may take the word of a police officer over the word of her daughter, you know how mothers are!

If you do get into trouble in the middle of the storm they will NOt come out to rescue you. There is no 911, no changing your mind. That's what "Mandatory Evacuation" is for - so you know you will not be rescued if you don't evacuate.

So many people lost their lives in Hurricane Katrina because they were told to evacuate and didn't.

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~

gardenglory said:My Mother wont leave her house on the island. Im fixing to get in the car. I will be in Indialantic, on the river, can see the ocean, and Jim Cantore of the weather channel is right down at the beach. Im shaking, but here I go, maybe I can get some good pictures.

Stay safe!

Prayers for everyone one down there to stay safe

@greene ... hunker down and stay safe, Matthew will be close to Savannah too as it passes along Florida's coast!

We are about 2 miles from the Intracoastal and of course the Atlantic is just east of that. Latest news shows this storm going north and then making a u-turn and circling back south and east again!! Unbelievable!

The house where I am now living is about 20 miles "as the crow flies" from the beach/coastal area. Crossing my fingers and hoping.

Stay safe everyone.

Pam, I sure hope you get through and back out safely with your mother. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you living in the line of Mathew Please check in when you can and let us know if there is anything the rest of us not affected can do to help.

For all those who are thinking about riding this thing out, google Country Walk, hurricane Andrew. This was a development that got wiped off the map during Andrew, not worth it.

Good luck to all that maybe in the path of H. Matthew. I grew up in a more typhoon ridden country so I know how it feels. In some sense you are all still lucky to have such advance warnings so you can all decide what is best for your families and there is an avenue of escape available ahead of time.

In my old homeland as typical with island nations and archiepelagos we just hunker down and hope for the best. Typhoons have landed much stronger these past few years it also caught the people there by surprise by its intensity. We actually dread typhoons during the last quarter of the year they always come in very strong.

So take care and heed the local warnings, stay safe

Thinking and praying for all of you in Florida, Georgia, South & North Carolina. Checked with my nephew close to Sebastian and he has done his prep and is ready to ride it out. He has a supply of gas for his generator, propane for his grill, water and food. Our friend will be checking on our house after everything passes. We are waiting to see if we need to go down there.

If anyone under a mandatory evacuation order is considering staying put, they might look up Hurricane Camille which destroyed Pass Christian, Mississippi in 1969.

Our cable is out .. I am challenged with this cellphone aND typing. Winds and rain picking up.but storm still a distance from us. It's supposed to be bad around 3 a.m. will try to check in again later. Latest reports say it could be come a Category 5 ... praying that does not happen.

plantladylin said:Our cable is out .. I am challenged with this cellphone aND typing. Winds and rain picking up.but storm still a distance from us. It's supposed to be bad around 3 a.m. will try to check in again later. Latest reports say it could be come a Category 5 ... praying that does not happen.

Stay safe!!

Hang in there Lin and try and get some rest. It is sure to be noisy outside tonight. Give Bo and Toby plenty of pets, that will have such a calming effect.