FL Panhandle DG's

Hunker down folks! This is the best site to get the real storm info. Stay safe and keep in touch, I'll keep a good thought for you.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Pati

*whew* we seemed to dodge that bullet. Hoping everyone fares well.

Looks like both Bonnie & Charlie will bring me lots of rain. Hopefully we are far enough inland not to have very high winds.

Keeping all our DG Family in their paths in my prayers.

Darius, aren't you glad you paid that cable bill. LOL
Pati

Yeah, Pati.. plus I have several family members in Florida in the path of both storms, so I'll be paying attention.

Charlie looks to be heading my way currently, but the track has changed signifigantly 3 times. I don't think the forecasts for Bonnie are completely accurate. She's not moving much, and as we've seen before, a lot of change can happen in 12 hours.

There was one a couple of years back that they said would hit Tampa, and we woke up to it dropping completely south and coming ashore in the keys, and through to Miami. we didn't get a drop.

One year (1960's) when I still lived in Miami, a storm passed up the east FL coast and after it got to above mid-state, we took off for a weekend in Tampa. The durn thing got to Jax, turned around and hit Miami while we were gone. Forget it's name but it did damage our house.

Don't trust hurricanes to behave as the forecasters say!

Hoping the worst of the storm bypasses all of you. Is Weeds in it's path?

Currently, I believe she is, but who knows what either will do. I start preparing about 12 hours before it's due to arrive. I don't bother with boarding up. I'm insured.

To give you an idea of how off these forecasters are; Last night they said they didn't expect much more development in Bonnie, and it would be a small TS when it hit. I bet it's upgraded to a Hurricane on the next update, as it's now as big as Charlie, and hasn't moved much.

I'm a weird one though. Hurricane season falls just shy of football season in things I look forward to. Awesome beasts they are.

I love thses awesome beasts when they aren't so destructive. Loved to walk out on the jetties when one was approaching... so exhilarating.

Just heard the weather channel say Bonnie has increased intensity. You may be right, BT.

Look at what it's done in just 7 hours

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/gmex-vis-loop.html

That's impressive! Thanks for the link. Keep us posted?

I'm getting pretty good at this.

THE MAIN
CONCERN IS THAT WITH THE MID-LEVEL WINDS FORECAST TO BECOME
SOUTHWEST OR WEST-SOUTHWESTERLY BY 24 HOURS...BONNIE COULD MAKE A
SHARP TURN MORE TOWARD THE EAST-NORTHEAST OR EAST JUST BEFORE
LANDFALL OCCURS. THIS WOULD BE TO THE RIGHT OF THE CURRENT FORECAST
TRACK AND THIS SCENARIO WILL BE CLOSELY EVALUATED FOR THE NEXT
ADVISORY. DUE TO THE UNCERTAINTY IN THE EXACT LOCATION AND
INTENSITY AT LANDFALL...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE
WATCH HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR THE PREVIOUS TROPICAL STROM WATCH AREA.

Thanks BT....I'm at work so please post the names of the cities where it makes landfall.

Nothing coming ashore until tomorrow, and then the other on Friday. I'll keep it going, as long as we have power, but you can also check out the www.nhc.noaa.gov that's the National Hurricane Center's site, and has the info that all other sites gets theirs from

Hey ya'll just saw this thread and I think I will get to make Bonnie's aquaintance! I believe Panama City is right in her path but is a baby now. I love hurricanes if they don't get to a 4. Been a drought here all summer and now I have RAIN, RAIN, RAIN and BLOOMS, BLOOMS, BLOOMS!!!

Latest on storm.... Governer Bush just declared a State of Emergency for the entire state and they are starting to evacuate parts of the FL Keys.

BuriedTreasure, look at the projected path NOAA has posted for Charley, better get your plants in!!! Calling my daughter in Bartow right now, she has horses and chickens to shelter.
Pati

LOL....glad you checked in Weeds and I know you really, really, really wanted rain! I hope you have a wonderful storm....without the damaging winds! How are the doggies handling it?

Just saw Pati's post....take care BT and *Save those Plants*!!!

Hey BT!!! Hurricane party time!!!

Lilypon, I am at work and no news of staying home tomorrow yet...is still a baby so far. Guess the doggies are fine, they are home with momster. Poppy even got to take a nap in HER bed yesterday...this is quite the miracle....

Yepper.

I'm 80 miles NW of Sebring now, but who knows where this thing will come ashore. That just pushed back it's arrival time by 6 hours. Still lots of time for things to change, but yes, the plants will come in.

Hurricane Checklist:

Tequila - check
Marguerita mix - check
Triple Sec - check
Limes - check

Yup. I'm ready

BT, been through this before, eh???

Y'all sound prepared there BT....if it takes your plants at least you prob. won't care. At least for a little while! ;) Are they insured too?

Weeds it's sounding pretty good.....Pop sleeping on Miss Virginia's bed is proof miracles do occur!

Lots of them.

The worst was Hugo, because I was onboard our ship, and we got tossed around in the bands as we left Charleston. Our ship looked like a surfboard on some of the swells.

First Hurrican party was in 85 or 86 for Helena I believe.

the only ones that would bother me are the Adeniums, because they're so slow. I can replace them tomorrow, but it would take years to get them up to the current size on some of them.

I'll bet it was hard to handle those margaritas on that ship!

LOL at BurriedTreasures love that floridian attitude..... Sounds like you are already calm so I don't have to tell you that but do be safe.
Sandy.... Wishing for the residual rains to come this far north.

I guess I have that Florida oldtimers attitude, too. I slept through Hurricane Donna, Sept. 1960, winds of 160+ MPH! It left all of Miami Beach in the hotel lobbies, LOL.

This message was edited Aug 12, 2004 2:08 PM

LOLOL Darius! Now you are what I call a sound sleeper!

The Keys? Wow! I heard down there they don't bat an eye until the wind blows the head off their beer!!! LOL

Y'all stay safe. Up hear, we don't want another Isabel!!!

Yeah, Weeds, I AM!

I had my first legal adult alcoholic drink in the foremath of a hurricane, forget which one it was but had to be 1961 because I was 21. We had been out on the jetties on Miami Beach and the winds were fierce, and blowing lots of salt spray. I got wet and chilled to the bone. In those days there were bars that opened from the beach side. My date took me into one and the bartender made me a cup of warm milk with a shot of brandy. Sure warmed me up, but we were late for dinner with my folks, LOL.

This message was edited Aug 12, 2004 2:09 PM

We went out during Hurrican Helena. I was a teenager, and my parents were livid when I came home that night. My friends and I thought it was just a bad storm.

oops

LOL, BT... Teenagers then didn't listen to the news/weather?

We just got the message that all schools will be closed in several counties around us so I have the day off tomorrow! Bad part is we will havet to make it up, like snow days!

Do you board up your windows weeds? I hope you will still have power!

Bonnie shouldn't be too bad. Charlie may be another story. Weeds, I assume you have been in hurricanes? Know to open windows on the lee side? Then change sides when the eye passes?

I spent too many years drawing a bathtub full of water for hurricane prep, LOL.

This message was edited Aug 11, 2004 5:11 PM

Pati, where ya been all day, buttoning up?

I know that bath tub drill too. LOL My DH always cut off the water going INTO the hot water heater. That gives you 35 to 50 gallons of good water suitable for drinking. My grand daughters (19 and 20) live in Marathon in the Keys. Their apartment building has a hurricane shelter. It was built during the Cuban crises to withstand possible missile attack, but so far it has only done duty as a hurricane shelter. Thank goodness!
Pati

Sounds like a good fall-back/shelter for them, Pati. Makes you feel better, I assume?

I guess my very young step-mother didn't know the water heater trick, and my dad always with his squadron, so we filled the bathtub. Our back door blew off but a neighbor helped nail it back on. Then the foyer floor buckled from the rain coming in and we couldn't get the front door opened after the storm. We went in and out those old narrow steel casement windows for 2 weeks, LOL. I mostly remember she was scared and wouldn't let me sleep.

In an earlier storm, when we lived across from the Orange Bowl, all the heavy plaster ceiling in my bedroom came down... except above the area where I was sleeping. A palm tree had hit the house. We had water EVERYWHERE.