bluedaze, all the weather programs show that you will be taking a direct hit after it leaves the Keys and regains strength. Are you hearing anything different? Just wondering if I need to be concerned about my sister and you.
Bluedaze and I live within 7 miles of each other. We're on the EAST Coast of Florida- 40 minutes North of Jupiter. We're expecting lots of rain and some wind overnight and tomorrow - no hurricane. Fay is still a tropical storm, and is expected to hit the WEST coast of Florida - Ft. Myers; Naples; Tampa.
We took in all of our patio furniture, and there is no school tomorrow (today was the first day of school), but we haven't been advised to put up the hurricane shutters. Not supposed to be a hurricane here.
Mary-thanks for the concern. I bought extra bottled water and cat chow. Took down most of my hanging plants. Aside from going stir crazy I think we'll be ok. Big worry will be tornadoes. Most people don't realize that Florida has more tornadoes that Kansas. That explains why in a hurricane one street will be unhurt and the next demolished. Maybe Joan and I should meet for wine and cheese.
We're in The Villages...1 hr NW of Orlando so we might get some of this storm. I think it has made my DH more agitated. I know he doesn't understand what I was doing when I took the porch furniture in and took down things that might blow around. He has been much more confused today and his speech is almost unintelligible. He talks...to someone I can't see and I can't understand what he's saying. He's asked me some questions and I really didn't know what he was talking about. Hopefully, it's the weather and not the next stage.
My sister always tells me to be more worried about the tornadoes than the hurricanes. It's funny that you mentioned it. Her house in on a small knob so she can handle a little high water should it rain alot. Enjoy the wine and cheese.
Mary-when I lived in Bradenton the worst storm we ever had came up so suddenly it was called the No Name Storm. As a home health nurse my area was the beach. I was the first one allowed on the island and at first I though everything looked fine from the road. Wrong! The storm has washed the sand from under the houses and the backs had fallen into the gulf. The fronts remained like from an old western.
FLgirl, Your comment that your husband talks to someone you can't see...........
I watched my husband have at least a 10 minute conversation last night on the deck with no one. I watched him from inside through a window. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but at one point, he laughed so hard he wiped tears away. He often talks to himself in his office. Sometimes I think he is on the phone, but not.
Anyhow, I asked him who he was talking to & he said the cat. He wasn't even looking at the cat.
Oh my goodness yes, Kitty -- my dh just tonite looked @ himself in the mirror & said "I miss that guy"...it's almost like they have "insight" that we just cannot make out, but they seem to just "know" sometimes. Other times, he'll talk with people on the back-porch too -- we live in Texas, so pretty sure he's not chatting with your DH, altho we do have a dog ~ lol. All you in Florida, hang onto your hats ~ My sister lives in Ft.Lauderdale, mom in Daytona, sister in Titusville...all are 'watching and waiting'. Several years ago we went out for a Cuban Sandwich in Daytona beach when hurricane Charlie was to go "into Tampa"...came back & it was heading inland & came back across the state & ran right through Daytona Beach...quite an experience! I was glad we were with my mom, but my college age dtr & her friend who came for "fun" didn't find it all that great ~ No electricity for days & days...hope y'all make it through this one without incident!
I've experienced the milder hurricanes in the NorthEast - haven't had a direct hit north of New Jersey in my lifetime. That was bad enough to give me a hint of what Florida is expecting now. Please take care of yourselves.
I'm in Bradenton. Right now it's cloudy and a little windy. Not bad at all. Not even a drop of rain ------yet. Hope it stays this way . I always get cabin fever and will want to venture out on the road somewhere. With DH, of course.
Sometimes I think I am the only able bodied person in my 55 plus community. The yard between streets is knee high in water and an inch from flooding my house-and others I assume. I put on water shoes, a slicker, grabbed a rake and went out it the storm to clear the storm drain. No luck-the retention ponds are also overflooding. I did call a neighbor to watch me incase I fell. I think I see the Titanic floating down my street.
Take pictures of the Titanic from your roof. You can sell them to the National Inquirer! <grin>
No kidding now - stay dry and safe. Wish you were somewhere high and dry. Hopefully it will speed out of Florida quickly and go back into the Atlantic. Keep us posted as best you can! We're praying for you!
Actually I think the official flood watch sets off certain things in the police, fire department and other service departments. They know that you know, but now the police in areas where it isn't actively flooding also know.
Take my community. When we have a flood watch it means that Spring Creek Road will be partially under water and so will our bridge to that road. It means go the other way if you want to go out to the main streets. When we first moved here it meant that Route 100 would be partly under water and closed in places. They fixed that, but there is no way to fix Spring Creek Road, although they have done enough work so it doesn't happen every time it rains anymore.
If you live on the high ground in my Community, you would have no way to know that our bridge is under a foot or two of water. I'm sure that is true where you live too.
Several of you commented that your LO seemed to be talking to someone you couldn't see. My wife has a toy kitten, with very soft "fur" (she is very allergic to cats). Often when we get home she will go to the kitten and start talking to it. This can go on for 10-15 minutes. I generally can't hear what she is saying, but it usually has to do with the kitten helping make things right.
Our tropical storm is getting scary. We have been asked to not flush toilets, run dishwasher or take long showers. All major intersections off of US1 heading east are flooded and shuttles are being set up to get people home as cars can't get through. The intersections I use to visit Bill are all under water. My lights keep flickering. Glad they're not calling this a hurricane. Joan-things must be better in Tradition.
Are you closer to town or do you live out a ways. If I remember correctly, you told us you live in a senior community? My sister lives may be 8 or 9 miles out. I don't know which direction but you leave town, drive past a beach and over a big white bridge. Then you drive past fields and into a more rural area. Still lots of houses but on acre lots.
It does sound scary. Do you have people watching out for you?
Thanks for the concern. We all look out for each other but I'm the most able bodied person in the bunch. Between being a nurse and in good shape I'm always on call for someone. Our community is not rural and not far from major highways if you can get to them. I'm only about 10 miles from Joan but I don't think she has the flooding.
Being from the center of Kansas, we are always on the watch for tornados when the storms appear. They aren't predictive OR fun! Please all in the line of "Fay" take care!
I can't believe this. Rain is coming in under the shuttered front door. The garage door is shaking. Rain is hitting the windows so hard my cats finally are spooked (so am I). There is just no place for any more water to go. Sorry I sold my kayak.
Here's our flood update. All main roads deeply flooded. A neighbor and I drove through our development (he drove). Deep water all over roads. Cannot leave development without driving on sidewalk to avoid very deep water-not sure if that intrepid soul ever made it out. We've been asked to not flush toilets, run dishwashers or take long showers. There simply isn't any room for any more waste water. I feel badly about not seeing Bill-but he won't know I'm not there. Update later-coffee time
Home is dry. I drove out today and found the parking lot of our Publix so flooded it had white caps. I wouldn't drive in the people behind me wouldn't let me back out. My poor little car swam through deep water and got me to dry land. Just got yelled at by my daughter. Don't you know that You're not supposed to be out on the road. Had a pj party last night with a bunch of other stir crazy women. Much wine was consumed. Met a new gal who's husband is early AD so we had a good chat. More rain is being predicted.
We were very lucky here in Tradition. No flooding. I live next to a canal, and not a drop of water in the house. Thank goodness. Some big, main roads in the city are all flooded, including all of the area around where bluedaze lives.
bluedaze,
I spoke to a friend of mine in the Lake Forest Pointe development, and she said Cashmere Blvd. was closed, but only one of her streets was flooded. Lake Forest development was on the news last night - under water.
I used to live in Bradenton. I'm on the east coast now about miles from Joan. The huge difference is that I am experiencing major flooding and she isn't. My community and access roads are still under water. I'm hoping to make a break for it tomorrow. Thanks for the concern.
Is anyone near Daytona Beach? Bluedaze & Joan...wondering if y'all are...my mom lives there -- she's fixin to be 70 later in the month. Also, bluedaze, someone mentioned they'd "like to have some of your rain"...as I was reading the comment, thought she was going to say "Like to have some of your wine"...the party did sound like fun!! Glad you can meet new people, even in bad weather :) Perhaps you now have a new "fair-weathered friend" ;)
Sorry natsmom-don't know how Daytona Beach made out. Have you been able to reach your mom by phone. I had a strange thing happen a few years ago after a severe hurricane-actually two in a row,We had been without power for over a week-including phones and cells. I hear a frantic banging on my garage door. I yell-come on in. Comes back-I can't walk. I went flying to the door assuming somebody was hurt. Not so. My NC daughter was frantic because she couldn't reach me. She googles the storm site and somehow contacted someone in Nebraska who could reach her mom in my development. The woman got on her motorized scooter, came to see how I was and then called her daughter who called my daughter. That is when we realized that different phones would reach different parts of the country. My wonderful neighbors and I stood in the street trading phone off to reach our families.
According to Tony, who lives in the Daytona area, as of last night, they were still getting lots of rain. Orlando was getting lots of rain as of this afternoon. The storm is in Northern Florida now, and it's not ready to leave yet.
All quiet here now, but as bluedaze said, the flooding in the city is unbelievable.
I've been watching the news too. My brother lives in Naples. He knows what a worrier I am ...but he still hasn't called me. Slacker! Glad you are all safe